The Judicial Selection Commission has announced the nominees for the anticipated vacancy of Circuit Judge in the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, located on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. This vacancy will arise following the retirement of Circuit Judge Dean E. Ochiai in June 2025.
According to Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi, "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 list provided by the Commission includes six nominees: Earl Edward L. Aquino; Russ S. Awakuni; Harvey M. Demetrakopoulos; Karin L. Holma; Taryn R. Tomasa Gifford; and Rochelle I. Vidinha (Cusumano). The Governor now has 30 days from receipt to make an appointment.
In terms of statistics regarding applicants for this position: there were 22 total applicants consisting of seven females and fifteen males. Among these were ten government attorneys, ten private attorneys, two judges, and five per diem judges. Four individuals applied for such a position for their first time.
Applicants' ages ranged across several decades: two between ages 31-40; eight between ages 41-50; seven between ages 51-60; and five between ages 61-70. Their years licensed spanned from eleven to thirty-eight years.
The recruitment process lasted ninety days during which two candidates withdrew before meeting with Commissioners—thus excluded from final statistics compiled after meetings held during March involving seven present commissioners.