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Hawaii Supreme Court justice vacancy (April 2023)
| Hawaii Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Nakayama vacancy |
| Date: April 21, 2023 |
| Status: Seat filled |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: Vladimir P. Devens |
| Date: October 23, 2023 |
Hawaii governor Joshua Green (D) appointed Vladimir P. Devens to the Hawaii Supreme Court on October 23, 2023. The Hawaii State Senate confirmed Green's appointment on November 21, 2023.[1]
Devens replaced Justice Paula Nakayama, who retired on April 21, 2023 due to reaching the state's mandatory retirement age of 70. Nakayama's replacement was Governor Green's (D) second nominee to the five-member supreme court.
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.
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Hawaii Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the appointee.
- A list of finalists recommended to the governor.
- 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 2023.
The appointee
- See also: Vladimir P. Devens
On October 23, 2023, Governor Joshua Green selected attorney Vladimir P. Devens to fill the vacancy left by Justice Nakayama's retirement. Devens' nomination went to the Hawaii State Senate where he was confirmed on November 21, 2023.[1][2]
Devens was the principal at Law Offices of Vladimir P. Devens, LLC and had been a partner at Meheula, Devens & Winer and Meheula & Devens. He is a former Corporal in the Honolulu Police Department and remains a volunteer reserve police officer.[3]
Appointee candidates and nominations
Because the vacancies occurred so close, the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission released a list of candidates double its usual size, expecting Governor Joshua Green to select two candidates for the two open positions.
Finalists
On September 27, 2023, the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission announced the six finalists to fill the two Hawaii Supreme Court vacancies.[4]
Finalists are listed in alphabetical order by last name:
- Attorney Vladimir Devens
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Chief Judge Lisa M. Ginoza
- First Circuit District Court Judge Summer M. M. Kupau-Odo
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Karen T. Nakasone
- First Circuit District Court Judge Catherine H. Remigio
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Clyde J. Wadsworth
Applicants
On February 10, 2023, the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission released a list of 13 candidates to fill the two Hawaii Supreme Court vacancies.[5]
Applicants are listed in alphabetical order by last name:
- Attorney Rebecca A. Copeland
- Attorney Vladimir Devens
- Attorney David M. Forman
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Chief Judge Lisa M. Ginoza
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry
- Attorney Kendra K. Kawai
- First Circuit District Court Judge Summer M. M. Kupau-Odo
- Former Hawaii Deputy Attorney General Deirdre Marie-Iha
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Sonja M. P. McCullen
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Karen T. Nakasone
- First Circuit District Court Judge Catherine H. Remigio
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Clyde J. Wadsworth
- Attorney Thomas Yamachika[5]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Hawaii
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.[6]
Makeup of the court
- See also: Hawaii Supreme Court
Justices
Following Nakayama's retirement, the Hawaii Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ Mark Recktenwald | Appointed by Gov. Linda Lingle (R) in 2010 | |
| ■ Sabrina McKenna | Appointed by Gov. Neil Abercrombie (D) in 2011 | |
| ■ Todd Eddins | Appointed by Gov. David Ige (D) in 2020 |
About the court
Founded in 1959, the Hawaii Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has five judgeships. The current chief of the court is Mark Recktenwald.[7]
As of September 2021, four judges on the court were appointed by a Democratic governor and one judge on the court was appointed by a Republican governor.
The Hawaii Supreme Court meets in the meets in Aliʻiōlani Hale building in Honolulu, Hawaii.[7]
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 Justice Nakayama
- See also: Paula Nakayama
Nakayama earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis and her J.D. from Hastings College of Law.[8]
Nakayama was admitted to the Hawaii Bar in 1979. She was deputy prosecuting attorney for the City & County of Honolulu. Nakayama was then a partner at Shim, Tam and Kirimitsu. In 1992, she was appointed to serve as a judge on the O`ahu First Circuit Court. The following year, she was appointed to the state supreme court.[8]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2023
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2023
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2023. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2022.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Honolulu Civil Beat, "Senate Confirms Ginoza, Devens To Hawaii Supreme Court," November 21, 2023
- ↑ Office of the Governor, "OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR – NEWS RELEASE – GOVERNOR GREEN ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR TWO JUDICIAL VACANCIES," October 23, 2023
- ↑ Office of the Governor, Governor Josh Green, M.D., "OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR – NEWS RELEASE – GOVERNOR GREEN ANNOUNCES NOMINEES FOR TWO JUDICIAL VACANCIES," October 23, 2023
- ↑ Star Advertiser, "Nominees announced for Hawaii State Supreme Court vacancies," accessed September 28, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Hawai'i State Judiciary, "Request for Public Comments – Applicants for two (2) Associate Justice, Supreme Court, State of Hawai’i (Release Date: 02/10/2023)," accessed June 8, 2023
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedHIgen - ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hawaii State Judiciary, "Hawaii Supreme Court," accessed September 14, 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedbio
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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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