Chief Justice Appoints Michael K. Soong as Kaua'i Island District Court Judge

News Release from Hawaii Judiciary, September 2, 2016

HONOLULU, HI - Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has appointed Michael K. Soong to the District Court of the Fifth Circuit (Island of Kauaʻi). Soong will fill the upcoming vacancy due to the retirement of Judge Trudy K.T. Senda in December.

Soong served as Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Kauai from 1996-2004, and has been in private practice since then.

Previously, Soong was a Deputy Corporation Counsel for the County of Hawaiʻi from 1986-1987; a Deputy Public Defender from 1987-1989; a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the County of Kauaʻi from 1991-1996; and an associate attorney with the Law Office of Walton D.Y. Hong, emphasizing in real estate transactions and land use. He also practiced criminal law and personal injury litigation as a partner in the law firm of Soong & Feldhacker, A.A.L. since 2004, and as a solo practitioner since 2009.

Soong serves as a Board member of the Friends of the Kauaʻi Drug Court, and is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

Soong is a graduate of the Southwestern University School of Law and was admitted to the Hawaiʻi State Bar in 1986.

The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not less than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission. If confirmed by the State Senate, Soong will serve a term of six years.

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Chief Justice Appoints Dakota K.M. Frenz as Hawaii Island District Family Court Judge

News Release from Hawaii Judiciary, September 2, 2016

HONOLULU, HI – Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has appointed Dakota K.M. Frenz to the District Family Court of the Third Circuit (Island of Hawaii).  Frenz will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Lloyd X. Van De Car.

Ms. Frenz served as a deputy prosecuting attorney in the County of Hawaii from 2006 - 2012 handling cases in the district, family, and circuit courts; and since 2012 has been in private practice, including criminal law, family law, and civil litigation/collections.

Ms. Frenz is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Kuikahi Mediation Center and an arbitrator with the Court Annexed Arbitration Program.  She also volunteers with the Friends of Drug Court and the Self-Help Center in East Hawaii.

Frenz is a graduate of Whittier Law School and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar in 2006.

The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not less than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission.  If confirmed by the State Senate, Frenz will serve a term of six years.