Lagoa Is Puzzle Beyond Florida, Limiting SCOTUS Prospects (1)

Barbara Lagoa’s meteoric rise from one of more than 50 mid-tier appellate judges in Florida to being considered for the U.S. Supreme Court in less than two years has left questions about her judicial philosophy that some conservatives don’t like to leave unanswered.

As a federal judge for only nine months, Lagoa doesn’t have a lengthy history of rulings on hot-button U.S. constitutional issues, despite having written approximately 400 opinions as a state-level judge. Conservatives for decades have preferred nominees with lengthy paper trails on constitutional issues to ensure they turn out to be stalwart conservatives on the high court. ...