Days after her annual meeting with the press (here and here), Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye had another interview, by phone, with reporters yesterday.

Maura Dolan in the Los Angeles Times (“California’s chief justice dropped Republican registration after Kavanaugh hearing“) quotes the Chief Justice as saying that Joshua Groban — Governor Jerry Brown’s appointee to the Supreme Court who will most likely be confirmed next week — will be “an interesting addition.”  “He brings executive-branch experience and a whole wealth of history and knowledge — background information for understanding some of the new laws we grapple with.”

The Times article also reports, “Cantil-Sakauye said the court would do whatever possible to quickly review Gov. Jerry Brown’s final clemency requests — even if he asks for commutations for all death row prisoners,” which she characterized as a “heavy lift.”  (See here, here, and here.)

Additionally, the Chief Justice offered further comments on her decision, after the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, to change her voter registration from Republican to no-party-preference.  According to the Times, she said, “I was greatly disturbed by the hearing itself and the process.”  “I say that not as a chief justice but as a female and a mother” of two young women.  She did not register as a Democrat because “I didn’t want to be labeled one way. . . .  My values are more centrist.”

The Chief Justice’s registration change attracted national attention.  There’s more on yesterday’s interview in the Washington Post (“California’s chief justice leaves GOP, says she was ‘greatly disturbed’ by Kavanaugh hearing“) and the Associated Press (“California chief justice gives up Republican Party label“).