Today, we’re continuing our review of Justice Goodwin Liu’s tenure with an in-depth look at his voting record on the Court.

Since joining the Court, Justice Liu has cast 106 votes to affirm, 157 votes to reverse and 24 split votes to affirm in part and reverse in part in civil cases.  Affirm votes have exceeded reverse votes in only only year, 2018 – the two tied in 2014.  His lightest full year was 2020, when he voted to affirm only 5 times (as opposed to 18 votes to reverse) and his heaviest year was 16 votes to affirm in 2017.  Justice Liu’s heaviest year in reverse votes was 2015 at 20.  His lightest full year was 2014 at 10.

Justice Liu has cast 235 votes to affirm in criminal cases as opposed to only 170 votes to reverse.  He has cast far more split votes in criminal cases than civil ones – 83 in all.  Affirm votes exceeded reverse votes in every year.  His heaviest year was 2012 with 41 votes to affirm; his lightest was 18 in 2019.  Justice Liu’s heaviest year as far as reverse votes was 2012 with 22, and his lightest full year was 2015 with 12.

Join us back here tomorrow as we assess how often Justice Liu votes with the majority.

Image courtesy of Flickr by Mario Sanchez Prada (no changes).