DEMOCRATS WILL DO EVERYTHING TO KEEP HAWAII FROM ITS FIRST FEMALE CHIEF JUSTICE

HONOLULU— Chairman Jonah Ka’auwai released the following statement regarding the State Senate Judiciary Committee’s vote against confirmation of Chief Justice nominee Judge Katherine Leonard:

“It is clear that the only reason Democrat Senators would vote "no" on Judge Katherine Leonard’s nomination is because she was nominated by a Republican Governor, and apparently also because of outrageous gender bias.

“Democrats in the Senate have tried every trick in the book to prevent Governor Linda Lingle from appointing the next Chief Justice. They put a question on the ballot to change the retirement age for judges which was voted down by voters and now they are trying to vote down an obviously qualified judge, with Judiciary Chair Brian Tanaguchi telling the media after the hearing that the five men on the list were all qualified. This is height of hypocrisy.

“Half the Senate is up for reelection this year and Senate President Hanabusa is running for Congress. All of these legislators should be held publicly accountable for putting politics in front of principle. Their blind partisanship should be remembered by voters in November by quoting Donald Trump: "YOU’RE FIRED!"

“In 2009 the Hawaii State Senate passed Senate Resolution 26, SD1 , ‘strongly urging the Governor to use and consider gender equality when appointing judges and justices in the future,’ while saying that ‘bias, or even the appearance of bias, against women undermines the integrity of the judicial system.’ Today the Senate Judiciary Committee led by Senator Brian Taniguchi and supported by Dwight Takamine and Clarence Nisihara voted to advise that the full Senate not confirm Leonard to be the first female Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court. In their actions we see, at the very least, the overt appearance of bias.

“Judge Leonard should be confirmed not because she is a woman, but because she is clearly qualified to be our next Chief Justice. Brian Taniguchi, Colleen Hanabusa, and their Democrat colleagues should be ashamed of themselves if they vote down Judge Leonard's nomination, and the people of Hawai'i should be embarrassed for them and the majority in the Senate as well.”

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Rep Kym Pine: In regards to the Senate Judiciary Committee

In regards to the Senate Judiciary Committee voting against recommending the appointment of appeals judge Katherine Leonard as Hawaii's chief justice.

“Today, all that we have worked for to recognize women as equals in the workplace was erased by a bunch of weak and sour men who have once again placed their political party before the people of Hawaii,” said Representative Kymberly Pine.

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