JEFFERSON CITY, MO. ? The Missouri judge who testified against U.S. Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft during his Senate confirmation hearings is now poised to become the first black chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Ronnie L. White, 50, who takes over as head of the seven-member court on Tuesday, says his top priority will be to encourage diversity within Missouri’s court system.

“I truly believe that within the judicial department, we need to work a little bit harder to try and place people of color within our organization,” White said.

White became the first black member of the state Supreme Court in 1995.

He was twice nominated by former President Bill Clinton to serve on the federal bench. But Ashcroft led a Senate fight against White that ended in 1999 with defeat of his nomination.

Two years later, White testified before the Senate as it considered whether to confirm Ashcroft as attorney general, saying Ashcroft “seriously distorted my record.”