Posted on 08/02/2010 5:17:23 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
LOS ANGELES - On Wednesday Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that Honorable Tani Cantil-Sakauye is his choice for Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. If confirmed, Justice Cantil-Sakauye would be the first Filipino-American and the second woman to preside over the state's highest court. The confirmation of Cantil-Sakauye would give the seven-member Supreme Court a majority of four women for the first time in California history.
Justice Cantil-Sakauye is a distinguished and deserving candidate with decades of public service experience in the California judicial system. Furthermore, the possibility of the first ever female majority on the California Supreme Court sends a powerful message to California's women and girls and helps bring us one step closer to 50-50 representation by 2020.
The Governor's nomination for chief justice must be submitted to the State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation and confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Once confirmed by the Commission, the nominee will appear on the November 2nd ballot for voter approval.
(Excerpt) Read more at californiachronicle.com ...
The fact that the nominees have to be cleared through a commission gives me pause. Who serves on that commission and do they have a political agenda?
Do we know anything about her?
And they're good at math, too.
Just her official bio.
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/courts/courtsofappeal/3rdDistrict/justices/sakauye.htm
She has a fairly appealing biography. She was appointed to Sacramento and state Appeals Courts by the previous two Republican Governors. Her views are unknown to me.
http://www.courtinfo.ca.gov/about/aboutcja.htm
California Judicial Branch: Commission on Judicial Appointments
Commission on Judicial Appointments
The Governor appoints candidates to the Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal, however, the appointees must be confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments.
The commission has three members: the Chief Justice, the Attorney General, and the senior presiding justice of the Court of Appeal of the affected appellate district. When a Supreme Court appointee is being considered, the third member of the commission is the state’s senior presiding justice of the Courts of Appeal.
The commission convenes after the Governor nominates or appoints a person to fill a vacancy on either the Supreme Court or a Court of Appeal. The commission holds one or more public hearings to review the appointee’s qualifications and may confirm or veto the appointment. No appellate appointment is final until the commission has filed its approval with the Secretary of State.
https://www.sacbar.org/members/saclawyer/JanFeb2005/coverStory.html
Madam Justice of the Third District Court of Appeal:
Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye
By Ruthe Ashley • February 2005
Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-SakauyeTani Gorre Cantil joined a family of two brothers and one sister on October 19, 1959. Tani, a second generation Asian American, grew up in Sacramento with a beautiful Filipina mother who worked as a farm worker and a Filipino/Portuguese father, born in Hawaii, who worked in the sugarcane and pineapple plantations before coming to Sacramento. Her mother and father met at a Sacramento soda fountain. Through the family tradition of hard work and saving money they successfully educated all four of their children. However, having enough money to pay for school meant that Tani and her siblings never saw potato chips, soda or new clothes. For years, Christmas presents were a shower cap and a robe, while Tani’s classmate down the street received emerald earrings, a pearl necklace and skis for Christmas. Tani never believed in Santa Claus because of the disparity in gifts that were received.
Tani learned from her parents that hard work would lead to a promising future. Education was an expectation and when Tani graduated from McClatchy High School in 1977, she crossed the street to attend Sacramento City College as a speech and debate major. Tani was involved in the speech and debate club in high school and loved the challenge of thinking and speaking on her feet. Graduating with an associate degree one year later in 1978, Tani spent six months at Cal Poly as a liberal arts major. Six months was long enough to know that being at the beach was hardly conducive to studying, so second semester found her enrolled at UC Davis. While in school, Tani waited tables at AJ Bumps and made more in tips than she did her first year as a lawyer.
As a young teenager, Tani’s mother took her to hear a speech by Gloria Ochoa, a Filipina woman lawyer. Although she doesn’t recall exactly what Gloria said, Tani remembers who she was, what she did, and, most importantly, saw what she could become. Tani’s love of speech and debate only validated her interest becoming a lawyer. She was also encouraged to be a lawyer by those around her. At UC Davis she majored in rhetoric and knew she would apply to law school upon graduation in 1980. After a year of leisure and meeting relatives in the Philippines, she started law school at King Hall.
Tani enjoyed the challenge, stimulation, and comradery of law school. She involved herself with issues facing minorities, including celebrations of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Through her parents’ struggles, she was aware of discrimination. Her personal experience of growing up in Land Park as the only Asian American family also made her keenly aware of the struggles that people of color faced. She recalls being asked how long she had been in America due to her command of English despite her being a California native. These experiences have framed her compassion and understanding of those parties appearing before her.
Upon graduation, Tani could not find a job. So as not to waste precious time, Tani honed her skills as a blackjack dealer in Reno but not for long. Although the Public Defender’s Office would not hire her because she was too young, she followed the advice of the Honorable Russell Hom, then at the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office, and applied at the District Attorney’s Office. Her legal career was off and running.
In 1988, an elementary school friend, Kirk Louie, asked Tani to interview for his job as the Deputy Legal Affairs counsel to Governor Deukmejian in 1988. During the next two years, she worked on the most sensitive matters with Justice Vance Raye, who at that time was the Governor’s Legal Affairs Secretary. When the Governor left office in 1990, Tani was appointed to Sacramento Municipal Court as the youngest judge to sit on the bench.
As a judge, Tani’s most memorable cases are when juveniles are tried as adults. Those are difficult cases and stay with her. She looks forward to the challenge of her new position on the Third District Court of Appeal. She is eager to have the time to read, research and discuss cases with other attorneys and her colleagues.
Tani has two daughters, Hana, age eight, and Clair, age six. Her husband of 10 years, Mark Sakauye, proudly supports Tani in her professional career and community involvement. Her role as a mother includes being a Brownie leader and co-chair of the Japanese United Methodist Church Girls Division Basketball League.
Isaiah 3:12
"As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err,And destroy the way of your paths.”
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