WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans successfully blocked President Barack Obama’s nomination of Goodwin Liu for the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday on a procedural vote. It was the first time an Obama nominee has lost a vote in the Senate, according to the Associated Press, and the vote effectively ended Liu’s chances of confirmation this session.

Both Minnesota senators, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, voted to end debate on Liu’s nomination, a vote that required 60 votes but failed 52-43. Klobuchar and Franken serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which approved Liu’s nomination the court last week. The Ninth Circuit covers much of the western United States, including Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific territories.

Franken took to the floor before the vote to defend the Liu nomination, calling him a “singularly talented individual” with “extraordinary intellect … someone who will be a strong and impartial jurist.” He cited University of Minnesota Law School professor Richard Painter and his glowing review of Liu, who himself is a law professor at the University of California, Berkley.

In a Politico opinion piece Wednesday, Painter, the former chief ethics lawyer under Republican President George W. Bush, wrote, “[Liu] is an excellent choice and should be confirmed.” Painter predicted, however, “I do not expect all Republican senators to vote to confirm Liu — though I would do so.”

Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, the Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican,  cited multiple reasons for opposing Liu, chief among them, “his controversial writings and speeches and an activist judicial philosophy.” Liu, he said, supports social and economic policies that are “clearly out of the mainstream,” including overturning bans on gay marriages – like the one being debated in the Minnesota Legislature – and supported affirmative action programs.

“If confirmed, I am concerned that Mr. Liu will deeply divide the Ninth Circuit and move that court even further to the left, if that’s possible.” he said. “If confirmed, his activist ideology and judicial philosophy would seep well beyond the Berkeley campus, and that seems like that’s difficult.”

Thursday’s cloture motion was defeated on a largely party-line vote, with only one Republican, Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski, voting to end debate.

Devin Henry is an intern in MinnPost's Washington Bureau.