UPDATE 6:12 p.m. PDT: Goodwin Liu was confirmed Wednesday and is expected to be sworn in on Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown.

California Supreme Court (courtesy of the state of California)

UC Berkley law professor Goodwin Liu is expected to join the California Supreme Court after his confirmation hearing Wednesday, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Liu is a constitutional scholar and the only Democratic appointee to the seven-member court. He was nominated by Gov. Jerry Brown in July.

His appointment came after his nomination to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals failed to win support in the U.S. Senate.

Liu’s California Supreme Court confirmation will be voted on by the three-member state Commission on Judicial Appointments. The committee is headed by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye (R). Other committee members are Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) and Court of Appeals Justice Joan Dempsey Klein (D).

If approved, Liu would immediately join the court. During the next gubernatorial election his name would appear on the ballot for a yes or no retention vote. He would replace Justice Carlos R. Moreno who retired Feb. 28.

The state Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on cases including challenges to the same-sex marriage ban next week, which Mercury News says Liu would participate in.

Liu is expected to become one of the more liberal voices of the state court which is considered mildly conservative, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A state bar evaluation committee gave Liu a rating of exceptionally well qualified, the highest rating possible. The American Bar Association also gave him its highest possible rating.

“The candidate is not an ideologue and would not tolerate any kind of bias or discrimination,” the Los Angeles Times says the ABA wrote. “He has an unwavering commitment to equal access to justice and will treat all litigants fairly, without regard to wealth or position in society.”

Some Republicans, however, still object to Liu's appointment, claiming he is too liberal.

Despite these objections, Liu is expected to be confirmed without much debate as documents released Monday show no individuals or groups signed up to speak against his nomination, Mercury News reports.

There are 10 people scheduled to speak in his support, though, according to Thomson Reuters News & Insight. Liu has received dozens of letters backing his nomination, including many from Asian bar groups, civil rights and labor organizations and several Bay Area Congress members.

The commission’s hearing is scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Reach Hannah Madans here.