Judges appointed by Neil Abercrombie
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This page lists judges appointed by Neil Abercrombie (D) during their term as Governor of Hawaii. As of today, the total number of Abercrombie appointees was 9. For the full profile of Abercrombie, 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. Abercrombie.
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.
The governor only appoints judges to the Supreme Court, Intermediate Court of Appeals, and the Circuit Courts. The Chief Justice appoints judges to the Hawaii District Courts.
Appointed judges
The tables below list the governor's appointees to the courts across the state.
State Courts
Supreme Court
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Hawaii Supreme Court |
March 3, 2011 - Present |
|
|
Hawaii Supreme Court |
August 6, 2012 - June 30, 2020 |
|
|
Hawaii Supreme Court |
April 17, 2014 - March 31, 2023 |
Local Courts
| Name | Court | Active |
|---|---|---|
|
Maui 2nd Circuit Court |
||
|
Maui 2nd Circuit Court |
||
|
O`ahu First Circuit Court 22nd Division |
||
|
O`ahu First Circuit Court 6th Division |
||
|
O`ahu First Circuit Court 7th Division |
||
|
O`ahu First Circuit Family Court |
Judicial selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Hawaii
| Judicial selection in Hawaii | |
 | |
| 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:
- Hawaii Supreme Court,
- Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals,
- Hawaii Circuit Courts, and
- Limited jurisdiction courts
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[1] |
|---|
|
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| State courts and their selection methods across the U.S., including the District of Columbia[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Method | Supreme Court (of 53)[2] | 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[3] | 1[4] | 17[5] |
State profile
| Demographic data for Hawaii | ||
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,425,157 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 6,423 | 3,531,905 |
| 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
- Elections in Hawaii
- United States congressional delegations from Hawaii
- Public policy in Hawaii
- Endorsers in Hawaii
- Hawaii fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection," archived February 2, 2015
- ↑ Both Oklahoma and Texas have two state supreme courts: one for civil matters and one for criminal matters.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Judges of the North Dakota Court of Appeals are appointed on an as-needed basis by the supreme court justices.
- ↑ 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.
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
