HONOLULU (AP) - Hawaii senators on Tuesday begin considering whether to approve Katherine Leonard as chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court.
Gov. Linda Lingle's nomination of Leonard could be in jeopardy after the Hawaii State Bar Association announced Monday it has found Leonard, an Intermediate Court of Appeals judge, "unqualified" to head the high court. It didn't explain the rating.
Lingle criticized the association's rating, saying its review process was unfair and flawed.
The Republican governor urged the Democrat-controlled Senate to confirm Leonard.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony on Leonard on Tuesday, and the full Senate is expected to weigh in with a final vote Thursday.
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