James C. McWhinnie has been nominated to a six-year term in District Court on Oahu to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Faye M. Koyanagi.

McWhinnie, a director with Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert handling commercial, product liability, construction, environmental and personal injury cases, was selected by Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald.

McWhinnie has served as secretary and director of the Hawaii State Bar Association, as co-chair of its Judicial Administration Committee, and was a co-founder of the Lawyer Kokua Program. He also served on HSBA’s Fee Dispute Committee, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Litigation Section, and has volunteered in the Access to Justice Room at District Court.

He has been a member of the Supreme Court Special Committee on Judicial Performance for the past 17 years, and served as a delegate to the Hawaii State Judicial Conference from 1989 to 1992, according to a press release from the state judiciary.

His appointment is subject to senate confirmation.