Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has called for public input on candidates for judicial positions in the District Court and District Family Court of the First Circuit, covering the island of Oʻahu. The Judicial Selection Commission has put forward several nominees for one vacancy in the District Court and two vacancies in the District Family Court.
The nominees are Russ Awakuni, William Bagasol, Kyle Dowd, Chastity Imamura, Chad Kumagai, Simeona Mariano, Maria Penn, Scott Spallina, Taryn Tomasa Gifford, Wilson Unga, and Rochelle Vidinha. Each nominee brings varied legal experience from their current roles across different legal institutions in Hawaiʻi.
Recktenwald stated that comments on "the qualifications and character of any of the nominees with regard to either calendar assignment" can be submitted in writing to him at the Supreme Court of Hawaiʻi. The deadline for submissions is March 24, 2025. All feedback will remain confidential.