Filipina Justice in California

A California state commission has unanimously approved Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's nomination of Tani Cantil-Sakauye as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California.

The daughter of immigrant farm workers is now firmly in line to become the first Filipina, first Asian, and the first minority to lead the judiciary of America's most populous state.

Cantil-Sakauye, a Sacramento state appellate justice, won a 3-0 vote from the Commission on Judicial Appointments after a grueling San Francisco hearing.

If California voters approve her in November, she will begin a 12-year term on January 3, 2011 to succeed Chief Justice Ronald George, who is retiring.

Cantil-Sakauye has been a judge for ten years, handling trials in Sacramento County Municipal and Superior courts until Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed her to the appeals court five years ago.

She was a county prosecutor for three years and then spent two years on the legal and legislative staffs of Governor George Deukmejian before the governor appointed her to the bench.

Tani Cantil-Sakauye, a moderate 50-year-old Republican, would be part of the first-ever female majority of the California Supreme Court, where three of the seven current justices are female.

A State Bar panel gave Cantil-Sakauye its ultimate rating:

"Extremely Well-Qualified" 

Commending her scholarship, her fairness, and her strong work ethic, the commission members deemed her worthy of the position of Chief Justice of California.

The commission members approving her nomination were:

• Chief Justice Ronald George
• Attorney General Jerry Brown
• Appeals Court Justice Joan Dempsey-Klein

Representatives of Filipino groups are excitedly praising Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who would become the first justice of Filipino heritage.

Genevieve Dong, president of the Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, heard Cantil-Sakauye speak to her law school class at UC Davis and found her to be "extremely inspiring".

Cantil-Sakauye, when a teenager, was inspired by another Filipina attorney, the prominent Gloria Ochoa of Sacramento.

My own Filipina friends, here in California, feel very proud that a daughter of Filipinos will be the next Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court.

November 3, 2010 UPDATE:  California voters approved her promotion.