Chief Justice Appoints District Court Judges

Press Release from Hawaii Judiciary, Aug 3, 2023

HONOLULU – Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald today appointed three individuals to fill judicial positions in the District Court of the First Circuit (island of O‘ahu).

Robert J. Brown has been serving as a Per Diem District Family Judge since 2021. He is currently a Litigation Associate at Starn O’Toole Marcus & Fisher. Prior to that he was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu from 2014 to 2018. Brown is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law and was admitted to the Hawaiʻi State Bar in 2014.

David M. Hayakawa is currently employed with the Law Office of David Hayakawa. Prior to that he was an Associate Attorney in the Law Office of Howard Luke from 2004 to 2012 focusing on criminal defense cases, an Associate Attorney at Coates & Frey from 1999 to 2004 where he practiced family law, and a Deputy Public Defender from 1987 to 1999. Hayakawa is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law and was admitted to the Hawaiʻi State Bar in 1987.

Erika E. Ireland has been serving as a Per Diem District Court Judge since 2021. She is currently employed with Erika E. Ireland, Attorney at Law, specializing in conservatorship, probate, and trust matters, and regularly serves as a court-appointed fiduciary, Kokua Kanawai and Master. Prior to that she was an attorney at Bronster Hoshibata from 2002 to 2004 and 2010 to 2014, and at the Law Office of Yuklin Aluli from 2004 to 2010. She also served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney, City and County of Honolulu from 1998 to 2002. Ireland is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law and was admitted to the Hawaiʻi State Bar in 1997.

The Chief Justice made his appointments from the nomination lists that were presented to him by the Judicial Selection Commission on July 5, 2023. These appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.