HAWAIʻI STATE SENATE CONFIRMS KIMBERLY TSUMOTO GUIDRY TO THE HAWAIʻI INTERMEDIATE COURT OF APPEALS
News Release from Hawaii State Senate, May 4, 2023
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – Today, the Hawaiʻi State Senate voted to confirm Hawaiʻi Solicitor General Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry, Governor Josh Green’s appointee, to a seat on the Hawaiʻi Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA).
Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in 1999 and her Juris Doctor degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2002. Guidry would later serve as a Deputy Attorney General for two decades, lead the Department’s Appellate Division, and eventually take the mantle as Solicitor General in 2019. Her legal experience expands beyond her position at the Department of the Attorney General as a Bar Examiner for the Hawaiʻi Board of Bar Examiners and as a member of the Judiciary’s Hawaiʻi Rules of Appellate Procedure standing committee.
“Solicitor General Guidry has proven she is well-versed in appellate procedure and knowledgeable about many of the issues addressed by appellate courts," said Senator Karl Rhoads (District 13 - Dowsett Highlands, Pu‘unui, Nu‘uanu, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Punchbowl, Pālama, Liliha, ʻIwilei, Chinatown, and Downtown), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “With the testimony in support of her and her work, including from the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association, I am confident that Judge Guidry will be a strong addition to the ICA.”
Guidry’s confirmation fulfills the goal of the Legislature in its passage in 2022 of Act 90, Senate Bill 2390, introduced by Senator Rhoads, to expand the Intermediate Court of Appeals to a total of seven judges in order to resolve a greater number of appeals more expeditiously and assist the court's efforts to reduce its backlog. The confirmation also restores full gender parity in State courts with 40 sitting female judges and justices and 40 sitting male judges and justices.
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GOVERNOR GREEN APPOINTS KIMBERLY TSUMOTO GUIDRY AS APPELLATE COURT JUDGE
Office of the Governor Press Releases, Apr 6, 2023
HONOLULU, HI – Governor Josh Green, M.D. announced today the appointment of Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry as the next Intermediate Appellate Court Judge. Guidry is appointed to a new judge position that was created in 2022.
“This appointment is long overdue, and we welcome the experience and commitment to public service that Kimberly will bring to the court system,” said Gov. Green. “Her more than two-decade long career of working as a deputy attorney general demonstrates her commitment to public sector law and her familiarity with the appellate courts has prepared her well for the work necessary for this position.”
With this appointment, once confirmed, the number of state judges and/or justices will be 40 sitting female judges to 40 sitting male judges. Should Gov. Green’s earlier selection of Michelle L. Drewer also be confirmed by the State Senate, it would bring the number of sitting female judges to 41, making it the first time in Hawai‘i’s history that there would be more sitting female judges than men.
Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Guidry received her Bachelors of History with highest honors from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is a graduate of the UH Richardson School of Law where she servedon the editorial board of the Asian Pacific Law and Policy Journal, and she currently serves as the Solicitor General for the State of Hawaiʻi employed by the Department of the Attorney General.
“I am honored to receive this appointment,” said Guidry. “I know and fully appreciate the role, responsibility, and work of an appellate court judge, and I would wholeheartedly take on this very important role with great passion and dedication.”
Upon Senate confirmation, Guidry would begin her duties after being sworn into office.
Photos from today’s news conference can be found here, and the livestream can be found here.
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Associate Judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals Nominees (Release Date: 03/17/2023)
JSC Press Release, Mar 17, 2023
Under the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi, Article VI, Appointment of Justices and Judges, Section 3: “The governor, with the consent of the senate, shall fill a vacancy in the office of the chief justice, supreme court, intermediate appellate court and circuit courts, by appointing a person from a list of not less than four, and not more than six, nominees for the vacancy, presented to the governor by the judicial selection commission.”
The Judicial Selection Commission is pleased to announce a list of nominees for the new judicial office of Associate Judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals, State of Hawaiʻi formed by the 2022 Legislature under Act 90, Session Laws of Hawaiʻi
The list of nominees selected by the Commission to fill the judicial office of Associate Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals are listed as follows in alphabetical order:
Lance D. Collins
Rebecca A. Copeland
Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry
Deirdre Marie-Iha
Taryn R. Tomasa Gifford
The Governor has 30 days from his receipt of the list today to make his appointment.
Statistics
Total Applicants: 7; 4 Females; 3 Males
First Time Applicants: 1
Government Attorneys: 3
Private Attorneys: 2
Judges: 1
Other: 1
Per Diem Judges: 1
Age Range: 0 (31-40); 5 (41-50); 2 (51-60); 0 (61-70)
Years Licensed Range: 15 years to 25 years
Additional Information
One applicant withdrew before the Judicial Selection Commission’s request for public comment and before meeting with the Judicial Selection Commission and is not included in the statistics above.
Ms. Catherine P. Awakuni Colón withdrew her application after the Judicial Selection Commission’s request for public comment but before meeting with the Judicial Selection Commission. Ms. Awakuni Colón is not included in the statistics above.
Meetings held and decisions made in February 2023 with 8 Commissioners present.
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