No, I am not nuts. From what I understand, she has been involved in corporate law and law firm management in Texas, as well as being president of the Texas bar. She has served on a city council (or was it a county council?). She has been involved in local and national politics. How many other justices have that experience? Believe it or not, it may take more intestinal fortitude to stand up for herself in those venues than the insular academic and judicial worlds where liberalism is the norm.
Being president of the bar is like being den mother to a Cub Scout troop. It's great for learning how to bring people together and manage them, but doesn't have a thing to do with actually practicing law.
I'll give you that she has some past real world experience. But in the last 6 years she has been hip deep with Washington. With what has come out of Washington lately makes me wonder if the water isn't posioned or something up there.