Brown swears in Goodwin Liu to the California Supreme Court

Justice Goodwin Liu today was sworn in to take the place of retiring Justice Carlos Moreno, the only Latino on the California Supreme Court. The addition of Liu on the state’s highest court establishes its first Asian-American majority.

During a ceremony in the state capitol’s ornate rotunda, Gov. Jerry Brown administered the oath of office to UC Berkeley law professor Liu.

Lui’s parents, who emigrated to America from Taiwan, watched from the front row. The governor described Liu’s appointment as “progress” for a state that once excluded Asian immigrants from owning property or becoming citizens.

"To have Goodwin Liu here be one of our seven justices, that is a real milestone, and maybe our forbearers wherever they are will turn over in their respective graves," he said.

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Liu thanked Brown for the “opportunity of a lifetime.”

"For my family and for me, America and the state of California have been places of boundless opportunity. And I can imagine no greater privilege than this chance to serve the state and the country I love so much," he said.

The new justice jumps into that service on Tuesday. That’s when the court tackles oral arguments on Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. California’s highest court will consider whether supporters have a legal right to defend the measure on appeal when the state refuses to do so.