Hawaii Supreme Court chief justice vacancy (September 2025)
| Hawaii Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Recktenwald vacancy |
| Date: September 30, 2025 |
| Status: Seat vacant |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Sabrina S. McKenna (interim) |
| Date: October 1, 2025 |
Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald retired on September 30, 2025 after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 70.[1] Recktenwald's replacement was Governor Green's (D) third nominee to the five-member supreme court.
Gov. Green appointed Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Sabrina S. McKenna as acting chief justice on October 1, 2025.[2] As of September 29, 2025, she confirmed to KHON that she had applied to the permanent position on the court.[3]
In Hawaii, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
If a midterm vacancy occurs, the position is filled just as it would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a justice's term. The governor appoints a successor from a list provided by a nominating commission, and the appointee faces confirmation from the state Senate. Newly appointed justices serve full 10-year terms.[4]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Hawaii Supreme Court vacancy:
- A list of candidates who applied to the vacancy.
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2025.
Appointee candidates and nominations
Ballotpedia will post information on candidates and prospective appointees as information becomes available. If you know of information that should be included here, please email us.
Applicants
On December 5, 2025, the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission released a list of five candidates who filed to succeed Chief Justice Recktenwald. The applicants were:[5]
- Attorney Lance D. Collins
- Justice Vladimir P. Devens
- Attorney David M. Forman
- Attorney Benjamin E. Lowenthal
- Justice Sabrina S. McKenna[6]
The Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission had extended the deadline to file for the vacancy twice during the application process. When the vacancy was first announced in November 2024, the deadline was set for February 2025. The deadline was initially extended until September 11, 2025, but was further extended by the Commission until November 3, 2025. The Commission cited that an insufficient number of candidates applied to fill the vacancy, which led to the deadline extensions.[7]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Hawaii
In Hawaii, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Hawaii Supreme Court
Justices
Following Recktenwald's retirement, the Hawaii Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Vladimir P. Devens | Appointed by Gov. Joshua Green (D) in 2023 | |
| ■ Todd Eddins | Appointed by Gov. David Ige (D) in 2020 | |
| ■ Lisa M. Ginoza | Appointed by Gov. Joshua Green (D) in 2023 | |
| ■ Sabrina S. McKenna | Appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) in 2011 |
About the court
Founded in 1959, the Hawaii Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current acting chief of the court is Sabrina S. McKenna.[8]
As of October 2025, four judges on the court were appointed by a Democratic governor and no judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.
The Hawaii Supreme Court meets in the meets in Aliʻiōlani Hale building in Honolulu, Hawaii.[8]
In Hawaii, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a hybrid judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission who has no majority of members selected either by the governor or the state Bar Association. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
About Chief Justice Recktenwald
- See also: Mark Recktenwald
Recktenwald earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1978 and his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1986.[9][10]
Recktenwald was an attorney in private practice, an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Hawaii, and director of the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs before becoming a judge. In 2007, he was appointed chief judge of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals. Gov. Lingle appointed him to the state supreme court in 2009. She appointed him chief justice in 2010.[9]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2025
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2025
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2025. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2024.
| 2025 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Hawai'i State Judiciary, "Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Leadership Transition," September 25, 2025
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Hawaii Supreme Court set for upcoming leadership transition," September 25, 2025
- ↑ KHON, "The search is on for a new Hawaii Chief Justice," September 29, 2025
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHIgen - ↑ Note: Applicants are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
- ↑ Hawai'i State Judiciary, "Request for Public Comments for Applicants for Chief Justice, Supreme Court, State of Hawai’i (Release Date: 12/05/2025)," December 5, 2025
- ↑ Hawai'i State Judiciary, "Notice of Second Extended Deadline for Applications for Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – Chief Justice, Supreme Court, State of Hawaiʻi (Release Date: 09/19/2025)," September 19, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Hawaii State Judiciary, "Hawaii Supreme Court," accessed September 14, 2021
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Hawaii State Judiciary, "Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald," accessed June 25, 2021
- ↑ Vote Smart, "Mark Recktenwald's Biography," accessed June 25, 2021
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Federal courts:
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: District of Hawaii • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: District of Hawaii
State courts:
Hawaii Supreme Court • Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals • Hawaii Circuit Courts • Hawaii District Courts • Hawaii Family Courts
State resources:
Courts in Hawaii • Hawaii judicial elections • Judicial selection in Hawaii
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