Judge ACORN: Obama's 1st nominee

(BUMPED; UPDATE BELOW) Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

The Capital Research Center's Matthew Vadum reports that President Obama's first appointment to the federal bench carries an oversized piece of baggage. U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton of Indiana, nominated to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, worked as a fundraiser for the liberal activist group ACORN, now being scrutinized on myriad voter registration fraud allegations. The Judicial Confirmation Network calls Judge Hamilton "an ACLU liberal." That's evident in Hamilton's 2005 ruling, overturned on appeal, that barred prayers that mention Jesus Christ to open daily sessions of the Indiana House of Representatives. Next!

Read Vadum's article at The American Spectator. His investigative reporting prompted a group of prominent conservatives, led by former Attorney General Ed Meese, to issue a denunciation of the Hamilton nomination:

President Obama's nomination of David Hamilton to the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit represents a choice based on the merits of political ideology instead of competence and impartiality. Hamilton, Obama's first judicial nominee, has none of the judicial expertise or experience required, but all of the ties to left-wing special interest groups and a record of activist rulings reflecting his personal views that only a liberal ideologue could hope for.

Oh, Michelle . . .

UPDATE: Moe Lane marvels that Obama didn't save the Hamilton pick for a SCOTUS seat. Moe also notes that Feddie is rolling his eyes at the claim (by CNN, inter alia) that Hamilton is a "moderate." Feddie links to a story at LifeNews.com about Hamilton's radical pro-abortion views.

Meanwhile, But As For Me links my AmSpecBlog post, and Memeorandum creates a thread.

UPDATE NOON 3/23: Welcome Michelle Malkin readers! Woe unto the Republican senator who approves of the Hamilton nomination. We might turn his worthless hide over to Gunnery Sgt. Hartman.

Linked by Obi's Sister. And Teh Resistance says:

Leftists know that decent people would never support their agenda if they knew the truth about it. So they have no choice but to lie, lie, lie . . .

Yeah. Somebody should write a book about that . . .

UPDATE 4:30 p.m. 3/23: A new Memeorandum thread as the blogs on JournoList are trying to knock down this meme: Salon, Right Wing Watch and Steve Benen join in on the Jedi mind trick: "These are not the droids you're looking for . . . move along." Their objective, of course, is to make sure that Associated Press, Washington Post and NY Times don't ever include "Steve Hamilton" and "ACORN" in the same story: "How dare you repeat such a right-wing noise machine smear against this respected moderate jurist!"

UPDATE 7 p.m. 3/23: "The president finally shows some loyalty."