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Todd Eddins
2020 - Present
2030
4
Todd Eddins is a judge of the Hawaii Supreme Court. He assumed office on December 11, 2020. His current term ends on December 11, 2030.
Eddins became a member of the court by appointment. On October 23, 2020, Gov. David Ige (D) appointed Eddins to replace retired Justice Richard W. Pollack.[1] The Hawaii State Senate confirmed Eddins to the court on November 19, 2020.[2][3] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Eddins was a judge of the O'ahu First Circuit Court of Hawaii. Gov. Ige appointed him to the court on February 9, 2017, and he was confirmed by the state Senate on March 3, 2017.[4][5]
Biography
Eddins earned an undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary and a J.D. from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law. Eddins was the executive editor of the University of Hawaii Law Review.[4][6]
He clerked for Justice Yoshimi Hayashi of the Hawaii Supreme Court. Eddins worked in private practice and was a trial lawyer for the Office of the Public Defender. Gov. Ige appointed him to O'ahu's First Circuit Court in 2017, where he served until Ige appointed him to the state supreme court in 2020.[4][6]
Appointments
2020
See also: Hawaii Supreme Court justice vacancy (June 2020)
Hawaii Governor David Ige (D) appointed Todd Eddins to the Hawaii Supreme Court on October 23, 2020. The Hawaii State Senate confirmed Eddins to succeed Justice Richard W. Pollack on November 19, 2020.[7][8] Eddins was Ige's first nominee to the five-member supreme court.
The seat became vacant when Pollack retired on June 30, 2020, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.[9]
Under Hawaii law as of June 2020, state supreme court justices were selected through the assisted appointment method. The governor chose an appointee from a list of candidates submitted by the judicial nominating commission. The nominee required confirmation from the Hawaii State Senate.[10]
2017
Gov. Ige appointed Eddins to the O`ahu First Circuit Court on February 9, 2017, and he was confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate on March 3, 2017.[4]
State supreme court judicial selection in Hawaii
- See also: Judicial selection in Hawaii
The five justices of the Hawaii Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. The Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission is responsible for screening candidates and submitting a shortlist to the governor. The commission is made up of nine members: two appointed by the governor, two appointed by the state Senate president, two appointed by the state House speaker, two appointed by the Hawaii Bar Association, and one appointed by the chief justice of the supreme court. The governor must appoint a judge from the commission's shortlist and the appointee must then be confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate.[11]
Justices serve for 10 years after their appointment. To continue to serve on the court, they must receive a majority vote of the selection commission.[11]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[11]
- a U.S. resident and citizen;
- a resident and citizen of the state;
- a practicing attorney in the state for at least ten years; and
- under the age of 70 (retirement by 70 is mandatory retirement).
Chief justice
In Hawaii, the position of chief justice is a specific seat on the court (similar to the Supreme Court of the United States) rather than a peer-selected leadership position. The chief justice is appointed in the same manner as the other justices on the court.[11]
Vacancies
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.[11]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
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Officeholder Hawaii Supreme Court |
Footnotes
- ↑ Governor of Hawaii, "OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR – NEWS RELEASE – GOVERNOR IGE APPOINTS FIRST CIRCUIT JUDGE TO HAWAI‘I SUPREME COURT," October 23, 2020
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Senate Confirms Todd Eddins To Hawaii Supreme Court," November 19, 2020
- ↑ YouTube, "Swearing-In Ceremony of Todd W. Eddins as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii," December 11, 2020
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Maui Now, "Governor Appoints Three to First Circuit Court," February 9, 2017
- ↑ Hawaii State Judiciary, "Chan, Hiraoka, Remigio, Eddins Confirmed by Senate," March 3, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Hawai'i State Judiciary, "Associate Justice Todd W. Eddins," accessed June 25, 2021
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Senate Confirms Todd Eddins To Hawaii Supreme Court," November 19, 2020
- ↑ Governor.Hawaii.gov, "Governor Ige Appoints First Circuit Judge To Hawai‘i Supreme Court," October 23, 2020
- ↑ Civil Beat, "A New Direction For The Hawaii Supreme Court?" June 30, 2020
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Hawaii; Judicial Nomination Commissions," archived January 13, 2012
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 Hawai'i State Judiciary, "Overview of the Hawai`i Judicial System," accessed April 18, 2025
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
