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Judges appointed by David Ige

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Judicial Appointments
Governor David Ige
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This page lists judges appointed by David Ige (D) during his term as Governor of Hawaii. As of today, the total number of Ige appointees was 25. For the full profile of Ige, click here.

Ballotpedia provides comprehensive coverage of the 100 largest cities in America by population. Some Hawaii judges are outside of that coverage scope. As a result, this page does not provide an exhaustive list of all judges appointed by Gov. Ige.

Appointment process

In Hawaii, the governor makes a judicial appointment after candidates are recommended by a judicial nominating commission. The nominee must be confirmed by the Hawaii Senate before she or he takes office.[1]

The governor only appoints judges to the supreme court, the intermediate court of appeals and the circuit courts. The chief justice appoints judges to the Hawaii District Courts.[2]

Appointed judges

The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.

State Courts

Supreme Court

Name Court Active

Todd Eddins

Hawaii Supreme Court

December 11, 2020 - Present

Court of Appeals

Name Court Active

Clyde J. Wadsworth

Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

October 21, 2019 - Present

Karen Nakasone

Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

November 2, 2020 - April 3, 2025

Sonja McCullen

Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

October 1, 2021 - Present

Keith Hiraoka

Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

November 19, 2018 - Present

Derrick Chan

Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

April 13, 2017 - October 31, 2020


Local Courts

Name Court Active

Henry T. Nakamoto

Hawai`i 3rd Circuit Court 2nd Division

Robert Kim

Hawai`i 3rd Circuit Court 3rd Division

Melvin H. Fujino

Hawai`i 3rd Circuit Court 4th Division

December 18, 2015 - June 30, 2020

Kirstin M. Hamman

Maui 2nd Circuit Court

October 29, 2021 - Present

Kelsey Kawano

Maui 2nd Circuit Court

Keith Hiraoka

O`ahu First Circuit Court 11th Division

2017 - 2018

Shirley M. Kawamura

O`ahu First Circuit Court 12th Division

Matthew J. Viola

O`ahu First Circuit Court 13th Division

December 20, 2017 - Present

Clarissa Y. Malinao

O`ahu First Circuit Court 15th Division

October 29, 2021 - Present

Paul B.K. Wong

O`ahu First Circuit Court 1st Division

December 20, 2017 - Present

Trish K. Morikawa

O`ahu First Circuit Court 20th Division

October 28, 2019 - Present

James Kawashima

O`ahu First Circuit Court 21st Division

James Kawashima

O`ahu First Circuit Court 21st Division

2022 - Present

Shanlyn A. S. Park

O`ahu First Circuit Court 22nd Division

October 29, 2021 - October 15, 2024

Rowena Somerville

O`ahu First Circuit Court 23rd Division

December 20, 2017 - Present

Catherine H. Remigio

O`ahu First Circuit Court 2nd Division

Todd Eddins

O`ahu First Circuit Court 8th Division

Kevin T. Morikone

O`ahu First Circuit Court 8th Division

October 29, 2021 - Present

Shellie Park-Hoapili

O`ahu First Circuit District Court 1st District

June 9, 2022 - Present


Judicial selection process

See also: Judicial selection in Hawaii
Judicial selection in Hawaii
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Hawaii Supreme Court
Method:   Assisted appointment
Term:   10 years
Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
Method:   Assisted appointment
Term:   10 years
Hawaii Circuit Courts
Method:   Gubernatorial appointment
Term:   10 years
Hawaii District Courts
Method:   Gubernatorial appointment
Term:   6 years

Judicial selection refers to the process used to select judges for courts. At the state level, methods of judicial selection vary substantially in the United States, and in some cases between different court types within a state. There are six primary types of judicial selection: partisan and nonpartisan elections, the Michigan method, assisted appointment, gubernatorial appointment, and legislative elections. To read more about how these selection methods are used across the country, click here.

This article covers how state court judges are selected in Hawaii, including:

As of April 2025, judges for all appellate and general jurisdiction courts in the state were chosen by the assisted appointment method, where the governor selects a nominee from a list provided by a nominating commission. Limited jurisdiction judges were appointed either by the chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court or by an administrative judge depending on the type of court.

Click here to notify us of changes to judicial selection methods in this state.

Appellate state court selection in the United States, by general selection method[3]


State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[3]
Method Supreme Court (of 53)[4] Courts of Appeal (of 46) Trial Courts (of 147)
Partisan elections (PE) 8 6 39
Nonpartisan elections (NPE) 13 16 34
Legislative elections (LE) 2 2 5
Gubernatorial appointment of judges (GA) 5 3 6
Assisted appointment (AA) 22 18 46
Combination or other 3[5] 1[6] 17[7]

State profile

Demographic data for Hawaii
 HawaiiU.S.
Total population:1,425,157316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):6,4233,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:25.4%73.6%
Black/African American:2%12.6%
Asian:37.7%5.1%
Native American:0.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:9.9%0.2%
Two or more:23.7%3%
Hispanic/Latino:9.9%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:91%86.7%
College graduation rate:30.8%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$69,515$53,889
Persons below poverty level:11.6%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Hawaii.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Hawaii

Hawaii voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.


More Hawaii coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

Hawaii Judicial Selection More Courts
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Courts in Hawaii
Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals
Hawaii Supreme Court
Elections: 202520242023202220212020201920182017
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Judicial selection in Hawaii
Federal courts
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External links

Footnotes

  1. American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Hawaii; Judicial Nomination Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
  2. American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Hawaii," archived October 2, 2014
  3. 3.0 3.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
  4. Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
  5. Michigan and Ohio use nonpartisan general elections with candidates selected through partisan primaries or conventions. In the District of Columbia, judges are selected in the same manner as federal judges.
  6. Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
  7. Most courts that use combination/alternative methods (for example, mayoral appointment) are local level courts. These courts are often governed by selection guidelines that are unique to their specific region.