Goodness, this was fast.
Recall that Goodwin Liu's appointment to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was stopped by the Republicans by blocking a floor vote in the U.S. Senate. He withdrew his name from consideration on May 25, 2011.
Two months later in July, California Gov. Jerry Brown nominated Liu to a vacancy on the seven-member CA Supreme Court (the vacancy created by a Justice who retired back in February)
The Commission on Judicial Nominees vetted Liu as "exceptionally well qualified."
Liu's confirmation hearing took place yesterday before the three-member Commission on Judicial Appointments. Several witnesses spoke for his conformation, no one spoke against. They then voted 3-0 to approve Liu's nomination.
Today Sept. 1, 2011, Goodwin Liu was sworn in to the California Supreme Court by Gov. Jerry Brown.
In a ceremony in the Capitol rotunda, Liu recalled field trips to the Capitol when he was a boy and Brown was governor before.
"I stood in this rotunda many times, perhaps even on days, Governor, when you were hard at work just a few paces away," Liu said. "But I never imagined that our paths would cross quite like this."
He called his appointment the "opportunity of a lifetime."
Liu's swearing-in came one month after Brown nominated him to the high court and less than 24 hours after the state Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed his appointment.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/...
Congratulations Justice Goodwin Liu.
Now that he's on the Court, he will be ruling on the Proposition 8 issues that are coming up.
Liu begins his tenure on the state court with a Proposition 8 case, scheduled for arguments Tuesday. The court will determine whether sponsors of initiatives have the legal right to defend them when state officials refuse to do so, a key issue in the federal court fight over the measure.
http://www.latimes.com/...
Also, if the CA Republicans' efforts to gather enough signatures to overturn the redistricting maps created by the California Citizens Redistricting Commission are successful, then the CA Supreme Court will draw the maps.
Goodwin Liu will now be potentially ruling on that if it comes to pass.
And note what the current make up of the CA Supreme Court, in heavily Democratic California is:
Six were appointed by Republican governors (Deukmejian, Wilson, Schwarzenegger)
Only one, Goodwin Liu, was appointed by a Democratic governor (Brown).
Finally, here's an interesting fact: a majority of the CA Supreme Court Justices are of Asian ancestry:
Liu's appointment gives California's high court a majority of Asian justices for the first time. Other Asian members are Cantil-Sakauye, a Filipina-American, Ming Chin, who is Chinese-American, and Joyce L. Kennard, who is of mixed Asian and European ancestry.