Patrick W. Border
Patrick W. Border was a judge of the O`ahu First Circuit of Hawaii. He was nominated in 2004 by Governor Linda Lingle and approved by the Hawaii Senate. His term expired, and he left the bench on April 7, 2014.[1][2][3] In a rare move, the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission decided not to reappoint Border to a second term. (See story below.)
Education
Border received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of Nebraska.[4]
Career
Before being appointed to the circuit court, Border was an attorney with Cronin Fried Sekiya Kekina & Fairbanks for approximately twenty years. For approximately seven years, he served as a mediator with the Mediation Center of the Pacific. Earlier in his career, he also served as a judge advocate for the U.S. Air Force, a deputy attorney general for the state of Hawaii, as deputy corporation counsel and as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the City and County of Honolulu. He served the O`ahu First Circuit Court from 2004 to 2014.[4]
Awards and associations
Associations
- Hawaii State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Asia Pacific Lawyers Association
- Inter Pacific Bar Association
- Association of Trial Lawyers of America
- Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii
Awards
- 1998 and 2003: Mediator of the Year Award[4]
Noteworthy events
Border's request to remain on court not approved
The Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission did not approve Border for a second term in 2014. Although Border used to handle civil cases, court officials had assigned him to handle misdemeanor criminal cases for a year. However, Border's handling of lower level criminal cases drew complaints from attorneys representing the state, as well as defendants. They claimed Border was inconsistent in sentencing defendants, and sometimes gave those who committed serious crimes lighter sentences than those who committed less serious crimes. Unnamed attorneys, according to Hawaii News Now, described his behavior as "erratic," "unpredictable" and "bizarre."[5]
Border declined to hear cases in the weeks leading up to his departure. He spent his final weeks working on administrative tasks while District Judge Shirley M. Kawamura substituted as the circuit judge.[5][6]
Most judges are retained for another term. The last judge to be ousted by the commission was Judge Sandra Simms in 2004.[5]
See also
External links
- Hawaii Courts, "First Circuit (Oahu) Judges Telephone Listing"
- Hawaii Courts, "Judicial Selection Commission"
Footnotes
- ↑ Hawaii State Judiciary, "First Circuit (Oahu) Judges Telephone Listing"
- ↑ Honolulu Star-Bulletin, "Isle court appointees face heavy backlog"
- ↑ Hawaii State Legislature, "2004 Legislative Session GM 1"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hawaii State Legislature, "STAND. COM. REP. 2031 Honolulu, Hawaii, 2004 RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 1"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Hawaii News Now, "EXCLUSIVE: Judge denied second term for 'erratic' and 'bizarre' behavior," March 20, 2014
- ↑ Hawaii News Now, "Ousted judge sits in his office during final three weeks as sub judge handles cases," April 8, 2014
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
