State Senate confirms 4 judge nominees

The state Senate voted Wednesday to confirm four judges to fill vacancies in Oahu’s circuit and district courts.

Attorney Rowena Somerville was approved for a 10-year term as a Circuit Court judge, replacing Judge Derrick Chan, who was appointed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals earlier this year.

Somerville, 50, was most recently an administrative hearings officer for the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, handling due process hearings involving special-education disputes. She previously was a deputy attorney general representing the departments of Transportation and Land and Natural Resources. Somerville, who earned her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii, also served as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the city.

Lawmakers also approved Family Court Judge Matthew Viola’s 10-year appointment as a Circuit Court judge. He replaces Judge Dexter Del Rosario, who retired late last year.

In Family Court, Viola, 55, has served as lead judge of the Domestic Division and as presiding judge of the Juvenile Drug Court. He earned his law degree from Stanford Law School and previously worked in private practice and as outside counsel for the Honolulu Ethics Commission.

District Court Judge Paul Wong was named to a 10-year term as a Circuit Court judge, replacing Judge Karl Sakamoto, who retired late last year.

Before being appointed to the District Court bench in 2012, Wong, 49, worked in private practice and also served as a special deputy attorney general for the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the city. He earned his law degree from Boston College Law School.

The three nominations by Gov. David Ige passed in the Senate with 16 votes, with nine senators absent. Lawmakers convened a brief special session to take up the judicial appointments.

“All three of these appointees understand that legal issues have a real and lasting impact on our people and in our communities. They are thoughtful, innovative and deeply committed to equitable problem-solving,” Ige said when he made the nominations.

The Senate also confirmed Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald’s appointment of attorney Jessi Hall to serve as a District Family Court judge.

Hall, who earned her law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law, has been licensed to practice law in Hawaii since 1999. She has focused on family law throughout her legal career.