First Asian American & Asian American Woman Nominated to Lead California Supreme Court

By John | Monday, July 26, 2010

This past week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated 3rd District Court of Appeal Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye as the next chief justice, replacing in January retiring Chief Justice Ronald George. This will make Cantil-Sakauye the first Asian American to lead the state’s judiciary and give the California Supreme Court a female majority for the first time in its history. On the current court, this will make her the second Asian American on the bench behind current Associate Justice Ming W. Chin.

“According to several biographies, Cantil-Sakauye comes from humble roots. Her Filipina mother was a farmworker, and her Filipino-Portuguese father, born in Hawaii, worked in sugar cane and pineapple plantations before moving to Sacramento. She is a Republican, is married to a Sacramento police lieutenant and has two children.”

The most notable California Supreme court ruling in recent years has their dealing with the same sex marriage issue and Proposition 8. I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from Cantil-Sakauye on that issue as well as much more in the near future.