Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has announced the appointment of three individuals to the District Family Court of the First Circuit on the island of Oʻahu. The appointments are pending Senate confirmation and will commence with a term of six years upon approval.
The appointees include Maria F. Penn, who has been a Per Diem District Family Judge since May 2022. Penn operates a solo practice, engaging in various civil litigation matters such as medical malpractice, personal injury, and civil rights violations. Previously, she practiced family law and served as a volunteer settlement master in Family Court. Penn graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law and joined the Hawaii State Bar in 2003.
Wilson A. Unga has been serving as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney since 2013. Holding the position of Felony Trials Division Chief, Unga has also led as the Domestic Violence Felony Team Captain. Recognized with the Mayor’s Exceptional Achievement Award in 2019, he has also contributed as a volunteer youth mentor. Unga is a William S. Richardson School of Law alumnus and has been a member of the Hawaiʻi State Bar since 2012.
Rochelle I. Vidinha, also known as Cusumano, is another appointee who has been with the same prosecutorial department in Honolulu since 2001. She heads the Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking Unit and coordinates the Honolulu County Human Trafficking Task Force. Before her current role, Vidinha worked as a Parole Officer with the Hawaii Paroling Authority. She graduated from the William S. Richardson School of Law in 2001.
The appointments were made based on nomination lists provided by the Judicial Selection Commission on March 17, 2025.