California's chief justice leaves the GOP over Kavanaugh: 'I felt compelled to make a choice now'

California's chief justice has given up her Republican Party registration after watching the confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has changed her voter registration to show no party preference after Kavanaugh was confirmed by the U.S. Senate despite credible rape allegations by Palo Alto professor Christine Blasey Ford, she told the website CALmatters.

“You can draw your own conclusions,” she said.

The 59-year-old Cantil-Sakauye, a prosecutor before becoming a judge 28 years ago, is among many high-profile Republicans who have disavowed the GOP since President Donald Trump's election in 2016.

“I’ve been thinking about it for some time,” Cantil-Sakauye said.

The longtime judge, who has been chief justice since 2011, said she made her decision after discussing the current political situation with her husband and friends -- who agreed with her.

“I felt compelled to make a choice now,” Cantil-Sakauye said. “It better suits what I do and how I approach issues.”