Chief justice of California Supreme Court leaves GOP over Kavanaugh confirmation

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/421346-chief-justice-of-california-supreme-court-leaves-gop-over-kavanaugh

By Morgan Gstalter - 12/13/18 08:46 PM EST

The chief justice of California’s Supreme Court announced on Thursday that she had left the Republican Party following the confirmation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye told CALmatters that she had been deliberating her decision for a while but made up her mind after watching the backlash following multiple sexual assault allegations leveled against Kavanaugh.

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Cantil-Sakauye joins a number of many prominent Republicans who have disavowed or left the GOP in recent months.

Former Rep. David Jolly (Fla.) said in October that he would re-register without a party affiliation with his wife in an attempt to reject partisan politics.

"It's also just a personal rejection of partisanship. It's a very comfortable place for us to be," Jolly said of his decision.

Lori Stegmann, an elected official in Oregon, left the Republican Party in July because she could not condone “the misogyny, the racism, and the unethical and immoral behavior of the current administration.”

Republican strategist Steve Schmidt left the party in June citing the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy for illegal border crossings, which led to the separation of thousands of migrant parents and children.