Thursday, 07/22/2010 Print Version |
(Applause) Please sit down, everybody and relax. First of all, I want to say good morning, everybody. And Chief Justice George, thank you for being here. I don't know if this applause was about you retiring or of her being nominated. (Laughter) I don't want to get into that.But anyway, also it's wonderful to have here Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. And also Senator Steinberg is here, I see in the front. Thank you very much for being here. Members of the California Supreme Court -- there are various different justices here -- then my Cabinet secretaries, the legislators and honorable members of the bench and so many very important guests, so thank you very much for being here today.Perhaps the greatest and most momentous responsibility afforded to the California governor is that of nominating a Supreme Court justice. Nearly every important issue that shapes California and its future, whether it is property rights, civil rights, economic policy, criminal law, environmental laws and so on, are ultimately decided by our Supreme Court.Throughout California's history, 27 individuals have accepted the task of leading the court as its chief justice. Few, if any, have done the job with such skill and professionalism and integrity as Ronald George. (Applause)For the last 14 years, Ronald George has served honorably as chief justice of the largest judicial system in the nation. He has proven himself time and again to be a fair and independent arbiter of the law. I can also testify that he's a fierce and persistent advocate Retirement and Nursing Homes for the courts, continuously pushing for more money and more resources, even when we have a budget crunch. (Applause) Even when we have a budget crunch he comes in there and says, "I need that money," and most of the time he gets it. (Laughter) I was also very proud that he swore me in twice as governor, in 2003 and in 2006.Chief Justice George has my deepest respect and appreciation. Now, I have to tell you also that he is not only doing such an extraordinary job and being the best of what he does but he's also a fantastic and wonderful human being. Let's give him a big hand for the great work that he has done. (Applause)Now, when I heard him announce his intentions to step down in January I was, of course, saddened; we will miss him. But the state of California's loss is certainly his family's gain. I know that Ronald will thoroughly enjoy relaxing and spending more time with his wife Barbara, who is sitting right in front, who has been a terrific partner of his. Let's give her a big hand. (Applause) And also with his children and grandchildren.So on behalf of all Californians I want to say thank you to Chief Justice George for the extraordinary work and for his service and we wish him well in retirement. So let's give him a big hand again. (Applause)Whatever that means, when we talk about 'retirement,' because I can guarantee you, he's not the kind of a guy that's going to go in a rocking chair and lean back and retire. (Laughter) He's going to read hundreds of books and do all kinds of different things, so we know that.That's right, absolutely. (Laughter) Absolutely. Make you into an action hero. Why not? (Laughter)Now, the departure of Chief Justice George leaves momentous shoes to be filled. The people of California deserve someone who shares his respect for the Constitution and his unwavering commitment to justice. They deserve someone with strong experience and unimpeachable integrity.My administration looked closely at several outstanding candidates. In the end, one stood above the rest. In fact, five years ago I was so impressed by that person's experience and background that I appointed her to the Court of Appeals, where she has served with distinction, she has done an outstanding job and that is the woman that is standing right beside me here, Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. (Applause)Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has a long and distinguished history of public service. She began her career in the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office prosecuting and putting away violent criminals. In the 1990s, because she did such a great job there, Governor Deukmejian appointed her to the Sacramento Municipal Court. There again she did such a great job that seven years later Governor Wilson elevated her to the Superior Court and there she created and presided over the first court in Sacramento dedicated solely to domestic violence. And as I mentioned earlier, since 2005 she has served honorably on the Court of Appeals Third Appellate District.Every time that I meet Justice Cantil-Sakauye, I'm impressed by her incredible passion, her incredible passion for the law. She reveres the law and she knows that the role of the judiciary is not to create law but to independently and to fairly interpret and administer the law.But Justice Cantil-Sakauye is much more than just a fine and widely admired jurist. She is also the living, breathing example of the American Dream. She came from humble beginnings, the daughter of parents who instilled in her the values of hard work and perseverance and the belief that in America, with that hard work and perseverance, you can achieve about anything. She even waited on tables to help put herself through college and then later on through law school. What an inspiring example to all our young people in America and especially to young Filipino boys and girls. Let's give her a big hand for the great, great work. (Applause)In fact, when confirmed by the voters in November, Justice Cantil-Sakauye will become California's first Filipino Chief Justice, (Applause) adding to our high court's already rich diversity.So I want to congratulate Justice Cantil-Sakauye and her entire family here today. We have here her family -- her husband, of course, right over here, Mark and her children Hana and Clare are right over here also in the front. Let's give them also a big, big hand. (Applause)And of course there are many other relatives here -- you can imagine. (Laughter) I don't want to go through that whole list so I hope you understand but welcome, all, to the Capitol.And now it is my great pleasure to introduce a fine public servant, an outstanding Californian, a spectacular American, the next chief justice of the California Supreme Court, Tani Cantil-Sakauye. Thank you very much. (Applause)Oh, thank you. Thank you. Please, please. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Governor Schwarzenegger, for those very kind remarks. Good morning and thank you all for coming.I want to thank you, Governor, for nominating me to be the next chief justice of the California Supreme Court. I am humbled by the experience, I am grateful for the opportunity and I am mindful of the public trust.You have bestowed a great honor upon me and my family and the honor for me and my family is especially poignant. I'd like to spend a few moments to talk a little bit about history. Governor, today you have changed my family's history. Now, from our daughters' perspective, they have a set of grandparents who worked in the fields, they have a set of grandparents who were interned for four years. They have grand-uncles, they have uncles, they have cousins, who are war veterans. And their mother? Well, a man of tremendous vision appointed her, or nominated her, to lead the highest court in California. Is history remarkable or what? (Applause)Chief Justice Ronald George, I want to thank you for making the judicial branch a model of excellence. In addition to you and the associate justices making the California Supreme Court the most influential and keenly observed court at the national level, your administrative efforts have brought the judicial branch to its rightful position as a co-equal third branch of government. Your efforts, Chief, your unrelenting and heartfelt commitment to the statewide administration of access, fairness and justice in the courts, sir, will go down in history. (Applause)As the nominee I am exhilarated to serve the public in this capacity. When I was a young girl I used to attend many, many Filipino functions -- I see many of you here. I remember only a few but I remember one when my mother took me to see what we had never seen before -- the first Filipina woman lawyer, Gloria Ochoa. My mother took me to the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall -- un-air conditioned, metal seats -- and my mother threw me the elbow jab and said, "You could do that too." I didn't know what "that" was but I knew the elbow jab and I knew that whatever Gloria was doing and had done was important, good work for the public. And now my passion for the public has led me to my passion to the court and the efficient administration of justice. And the postscript is, Gloria and I are fast friends.But when I think about the courts I really think how important and critical the courts are in the lives of the public. And what often reminds me of that is in my chambers I have the statue of Themis, Lady Justice. Lady Justice, as you know, stands before you in a robe. She's blindfolded, she holds a set of scales and she wields a knife, or sword, much like the one in your Cabinet Room. (Laughter) Under her foot is a serpent; at her feet is a book. And I am reminded that what justice means to the public is that courts right the wrongs, vanquish the indignities and provide a forum for everyone to be heard and a role of the Chief Justice of this great state is to ensure that the courts continue that vital role.Chief Justice Ron George has set up that administration for us, the public and the public can count on me to look and learn from the past and to address the immediate needs and priorities of the present and to plan and prepare for the future.I thank you all and I am deeply honored. Thank you very much. (Applause)We cannot have a retiring chief justice just stand here and not say a few words, so I insist that you come out here also to address us and say a few words. Please welcome Chief Justice Ron George. (Applause)Well, I'm shy but not shy and retiring. Or maybe the opposite. But it's a great honor and privilege to be asked by the Governor to participate in this wonderful event. It's truly an historic occasion and I think that this will go down as one of the most exceptional legacies in the administration of Governor Schwarzenegger.This nomination of Justice Cantil-Sakauye as Chief Justice of California and Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court is truly historic in many ways. Tani is, in my view, the ideal person to lead our largest -- largest anywhere, really and perhaps, in my view, the finest judiciary anywhere. It is a judiciary with more than 1,700 judges, several hundred subordinate judicial officers, 21,000 court employees and a budget of $4 billion, approximately. I will say that I hesitated to mention these figures. I don't want to give any cause for anyone to have second thoughts, Tani, (Laughter) about accepting this nomination.But I know that you are eminently qualified and fully prepared to accept the responsibilities of the office. Assuming confirmation of the Governor's nomination by the Commission on Judicial Appointments and the electorate at the November election, the duties will be assumed by the new Justice on January 3rd, actually. And Tani comes to this position with 20 years experience on the bench as of later this year. She will have 20 years, six of which have been served on the Third District Court of Appeal -- and I see many of her colleagues, including presiding Justice Scotland and other justices here -- and I know I have heard for years glowing reports of her tenure there.This judicial experience is not all that she has. She has served, as the Governor noted, as a prosecutor and after that she served in the Governor's Office and worked with the executive branch and also as deputy legislative secretary with the legislature. So here is a remarkable person at any age, let alone at this particular point in your life, to have substantial qualifying experience in all three branches of government for the particular duties that are involved in serving as chief justice of California.All this and a compelling life story, which the Governor has related to you, a terrific work ethic and an exceptionally collegial personality which will serve her well presiding over the court in which I sit and she will sit, in dealing with the judiciary around the state.What, in my view, qualifies her most among the many wonderful qualities she has for this particular difficult task is her experience in the statewide administration of justice and her diplomatic skills. You've heard about her prior experience. Well, she has been a true star on the Judicial Council, to which I appointed her. This is the constitutional body responsible for the statewide administration of justice. She's been on numerous committees and taskforces dealing with the administration of justice, and I recently appointed her to chair a key committee on financial accountability and efficiency of the judicial branch.Tani is a strong woman who strongly commits herself to the statewide administration of justice. I feel confident that she will build upon the achievements of the chief justices who have preceded her.I conclude my 38 years as a judge with extreme gratitude to the four governors -- Governor Reagan, Brown, Deukmejian and Wilson,--whose appointments to all four levels of court in California made me capable, gave me the opportunity to serve at all levels of California's court system and ultimately to lead the branch.And I also express extreme gratitude to the three governors, including Governor Schwarzenegger, with whom I was privileged to work in leading the judicial branch through policy and budget decisions, as well as to members of this and former legislatures. And I'm very pleased to see Senate pro Tem Darrell Steinberg here, who has been a key factor, along with the Speaker, in resolving the difficult situation of the judicial branch. Without that progress that we've made this year I would not have felt, in good conscience, I could leave my post.I want to indicate as well that there are many, many expressions of appreciation that I could make in terms of those who have enabled the judiciary to carry out is appointed tasks. But I want to express special appreciation to my colleagues on the Supreme Court, four of whom are here today -- Justice Marvin Baxter, Justice Kathryn Werdegar, Justice Ming Chin and Justice Carol Corrigan. I'd like to give them a hand for their exceptional service. (Applause) Justices Kennard and Moreno unfortunately had commitments elsewhere and could not be here on short notice but they send their very best and their congratulations to you.Also I would note that, really, working with my colleagues has been the highlight of my career. I look forward every week to our weekly conference, to working with them in crafting opinions, upholding the rule of law, working with the superb staff we have at the California Supreme Court and also with the superbly talented Administrative Director of the Court Bill Vickrey, who gives countless efforts every day, every hour of every day. Bill, thank you so much. (Applause) He and his staff have truly made the judicial branch in our efforts a co-equal independent branch of government not just in theory, not just in name but in practice and in reality.Finally, whatever I have been able to accomplish in 45 years of public service -- seven as a deputy attorney general, 38 years as a judge -- would not have been possible without the love and support of my wife Barbara, wife of 44 years. Barbara, thank you so much. (Applause)And now I will just conclude by indicating my great appreciation to you, Governor, because this is an exceptionally wise and far-reaching decision that you have made and truly will be one of your finest legacies of the many that you leave to the state of California. This nomination and ultimately the taking of office will be something that is truly viewed as historic.I announced my decision last Wednesday, Wednesday of last week, to my colleagues and then informed the Governor of the decision. And I stressed how important somebody with administrative and political and diplomatic skills would be to lead the judiciary. And the Governor said right away, in these words, "I get it. I know that."And I am thrilled that he moved so quickly in selecting an eminently qualified successor. And in the process I believe, Governor, you have exceeded the record of all of your predecessors in the percentage of women whom you have appointed to the bench and I'm sure there are many happy about that. (Applause)So with that, I conclude my remarks with great congratulations, with appreciation to you, Governor, with the best of wishes to you, Tani, for your assumption of duties. And I know that you are exceptionally and eminently qualified to undertake these responsibilities and I wish you all the very, very best and the best to your family as well. (Applause)
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