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Vladimir P. Devens
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2024 - Present
2034
1
Vladimir P. Devens is a judge of the Hawaii Supreme Court. He assumed office on January 12, 2024. His current term ends on January 11, 2034.
Devens was nominated to be a member of the Hawaii Supreme Court through an appointment by Gov. Joshua Green on October 23, 2023 and confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate on November 21, 2023 with a vote of 21-0. He was first appointed to the court in 2023 to the seat vacated by Paula Nakayama. [1] He was sworn in on January 12, 2024.[2] To learn more about this appointment, click here.
Education
Devens received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.[3] To read more about judicial selection in Hawaii, click here.
Career
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.[4]
Appointments
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.[5]
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.
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.[6]
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.[6]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[6]
- 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.[6]
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.[6]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Senate Confirms Ginoza, Devens To Hawaii Supreme Court," November 21, 2023
- ↑ Star Advertiser, "New state Supreme Court justices are sworn in," January 14, 2024
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Hawaii Senate Panel Approves Supreme Court Nominees," November 20, 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
- ↑ Honolulu Civil Beat, "Senate Confirms Ginoza, Devens To Hawaii Supreme Court," November 21, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 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
