Veteran political journalist Dan Walters of CalMatters suggests that Governor Gavin Newsom could tap Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu as the state’s next Attorney General if current AG Xavier Becerra is confirmed as President-elect Joe Biden’s Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Walters says, “Newsom made much of his appointment of a Black gay man, Martin Jenkins, to the state Supreme Court and is likely to appoint a Latino to the Senate. That would leave two other major identity groups, women and Asian-Pacific Islanders (API), to be recognized, lest Newsom face their wrath.” (Link added.) He continues, “if Newsom wants to pay homage to the state’s large [Asian-Pacific Islanders] population, there are at least three potential appointees, Oakland Assemblyman Rob Bonta, state Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu and Congressman Ted Lieu.”
There are still a lot of big “ifs,” but Biden’s election could soon lead to two new Supreme Court vacancies — if Governor Newsom nominates and the Legislature confirms Justice Liu to replace Biden-nominee Becerra as California Attorney General and if, as has been mentioned, Biden appoints Justice Leondra Kruger to be U.S. Solicitor General.
Both Justices Liu and Kruger declined to comment on the possible job changes.