I noticed this hidden gem in The News Journal article on local reaction to the Sotomayor nomination:
Temple law Professor Jan Ting, a former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate who recently switched his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat, said the “activist” attacks are “conservative boilerplate.”
“If you want to appeal to your base, you have to have something to say. Obviously, in interpreting the law, there are places where the law is not entirely clear,” he said, and that is arguably why cases end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.
“If there was a clear answer in the law, the case would never go to the Supreme Court,” he said.
Sotomayor is clearly smart enough, a proven academic, and as a nominee brings more experience as a jurist than anyone currently serving on the U.S. Supreme Court, Ting said.
I know Jan Ting supported Obama, because he was spotted at the Obama appearance in Wilmington in February 2008. I had no idea he had made it official. Welcome to the Democratic Party, Professor Ting!