HONOLULU -- The Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee members on Wednesday unanimously approved of Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Mark Recktenwald's nomination for chief justice.

Recktenwald is Lingle's second nominee to lead the state Judiciary. The state Senate voted against approving Katherine Leonard's nomination.

The new nominee is expected to sail through his confirmation vote by the full Senate on Thursday.

Recktenwald, 54, was previously the chief judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, director of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and assistant United States attorney.

Lingle appointed Recktenwald to the Supreme Court in May 2009.

If he is approved, he would replace Chief Justice Ronald Moon, who will retire this year at the mandatory age of 70.

Sen. Brian Taniguchi said he thought Recktenwald would be a chief justice who would let the other Supreme Court associate justices set the direction of the court.

"I don't think he is going to be the kind of person who is going to move the court with his ideology. I think he is going to be someone who is going to try to manage the court and be sure that it comes out with something good," Taniguchi said.

"You know at this point my only comment is I really appreciate it and I do think it was a very fair process, and I do appreciate the committee's hard work, and I do think they were very fair in their consideration of me. I am very thankful to them," Recktenwald said.

If the Senate approves Recktenwald's nomination, it would leave another vacancy on the bench that would have to be filled.

In his two previous Senate confirmations, he passed unanimously. The Hawaii State Bar Association gave Recktendwald a qualified rating.