A state bar commission gave its highest rating Monday to Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, Gov. Schwarzenegger's nominee to become California's next chief justice.
The bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation rated the appeals justice from Sacramento as "exceptionally well-qualified" to preside over the California Supreme Court and the state's sprawling court system.
Cantil-Sakauye, the first non-white person and only the second woman to be nominated chief justice, has a "brilliant mind" and "exceptional objectivity," the panel said. It described her as as "an extraordinarily hard worker" who "brings a sense of joyful enthusiasm" to the bench.
Cantil-Sakauye, 50, a moderate Republican and Filipino American, is expected to be approved Wednesday by the three-member Commission on Judicial Appointments, which is headed by current Chief Justice Ronald M. George. George, who is retiring in January, is believed to have played a strong role in the nomination of his successor.
Cantil-Sakauye's name will then appear on the November ballot for confirmation.
-- Maura Dolan in San Francisco