Governor Nominates Liu for Cal Supreme

Berkeley Law professor Goodwin Liu, who withdrew his 9th Circuit nomination after U.S. Senate confirmation battles which we covered here and here, was nominated by Governor Brown to succeed Justice Carlos Moreno on the California Supreme Court.

The Governor stated, "'Professor Liu is an extraordinary man and a distinguished legal scholar and teacher . . . . He is a nationally-recognized expert on constitutional law and has experience in private practice, government service and in the academic community. I know that he will be an outstanding addition to our state supreme court.'"

Technically, the Governor has only "forwarded Liu’s name to the State Bar’s Commission of Judicial Nominees Evaluation.  Following the Bar committee’s review, the Commission on Judicial Appointments, consisting of State Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Attorney General Kamala Harris and Justice Joan Dempsey Klein, senior presiding justice of the state Court of Appeal, will hold one or more public hearings to review Liu’s nomination. Although the bar committee’s recommendation is not binding, the Governor’s appointment will not become final until the Commission on Judicial Appointments confirms the nomination."

So much for my Short List, which I limited to Court of Appeal veterans.  The At the Lectern blog, however, picked up back in January on a SacBee article speculating about a Cal Supreme nomination for Liu.