Tani Cantil-Sakauye

Tani Cantil-Sakauye (born 1959) might seem an unlikely candidate to lead California’s highest court. Her parents were farm workers, and she supported herself in law school by working as a blackjack dealer. Yet she became the first Filipino American and the second woman to serve as California’s chief justice.
Cantil-Sakauye grew up in Sacramento and earned her undergraduate and law degrees at UC Davis. She worked as a prosecutor and a judge before she was appointed chief justice of the California Supreme Court in 2010.
She has led efforts to reform the bail system, decriminalize minor traffic offenses, and improve civic education.