(Editors Note: The Judicial Selection Commission has obeyed Hanabusa & OHA’s command and has not included Attorney General Mark Bennett on the nomination list.  This is Bennett’s punishment for upholding the State’s sovereignty in the Ceded Lands case and further evidence that much of the ruling elite in Hawaii is directly at odds with the US Constitution—which is why they seek the Akaka Tribe—to get out from under the Constitution.)

Related June 7: Mark Recktenwald appears to be the leading choice for chief justice

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GOVERNOR LINGLE SEEKS PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NOMINEES FOR HAWAI‘I SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE

HONOLULU – Governor Linda Lingle today released a list of judicial nominees that was provided to her by the Judicial Selection Commission to fill the position of chief justice of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court.  Governor Lingle is making the list available to the public to encourage public comment on the nominees as part of her review and selection process.

The list of six nominees is the product of the Judicial Selection Commission’s review of the background and qualifications of all applicants and its evaluation of each applicant.  The Commission does not rank the candidates. 

Nominees for the judicial office of chief justice of the Hawai‘i Supreme Court:

Bert I. Ayabe – Current position: circuit judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit.  Prior experience: district judge, District Court of the First Circuit; partner, Dandar & Ayabe; private practice, Bert I. Ayabe, Attorney at Law; partner, Hisaka Furosho Ayabe & Goto; associate, Kim Sterns Lines & Moore; associate, Bollington Stilz & Bloeser; associate, Kobayashi Watanabe Sugita & Kawashima. 

Daniel R. Foley – Current position: associate judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals.  Prior experience: partner, Partington & Foley; solo practitioner; adjunct professor of civil rights, University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law; legal director, ACLU Hawai‘i; legal counsel to various Micronesia government bodies; associate, Carrow Jones Applen & Forest, Marin County, California.

Katherine G. Leonard – Current position: associate judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals.  Prior experience: attorney, Carlsmith Ball LLP; law clerk, Hawai‘i Supreme Court and First Circuit Court.

Craig H. Nakamura – Current position:  chief judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals.  Prior experience: associate judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals; assistant United States attorney; adjunct professor, University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law; associate, Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel; law clerk, Judge Herbert Choy, U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Richard W. Pollack – Current position: circuit judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit. Prior experience: state public defender, Office of the Public Defender; deputy public defender, Office of the Public Defender; adjunct professor, University of Hawai‘i William S. Richardson School of Law; associate, Sherman S. Hee, A Law Corporation; associate, Morris J. Pollack, Attorney at Law.

Mark E. Recktenwald – Current position: associate justice, Hawai‘i Supreme Court.  Prior experience:  chief judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals; director, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs; assistant United States attorney; partner, Marr Hipp Jones & Wang; associate, Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel; law clerk, Chief Judge Harold Fong, U.S. District Court.

The Governor has 30 days from receipt of the list (June 23, 2010) to make her selection.

Public comments on the nominees may be sent via e-mail to joy.watari@hawaii.gov or by fax at 808-586-0006.  All comments should be submitted by the close of business on Monday, July 12.

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