2 Circuit Court judges retire, 9 to choose from to fill spots

Gov. David Ige has until Feb. 11 to decide who will fill two seats left vacant on Oahu’s Circuit Court following the retirement of Judges Steven Alm in August and Karen Ahn in June.

The Judicial Selection Commission submitted six nominees to the governor for each position Thursday.

Included on both lists is Ige’s former campaign manager and friend, Keith Hiraoka, an attorney and managing partner at Roeca Luria Hiraoka LLP.

Hiraoka was also one of six nominees submitted to the governor last week to fill an open seat on the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the state’s second-highest court. Hiraoka resigned as Ige’s campaign manager last week after learning that he had been included on that list, in an attempt to mitigate any conflicts of interest.

Ige also said at the time that he would consult with retired Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice James Duffy in making a final decision on who would fill the judgeship on the Intermediate Court of Appeals in an attempt to avoid any sense of impropriety given his close relationship with Hiraoka.

Ige’s office did not immediately respond to questions about whether the governor would also enlist Duffy in deliberations over the Circuit Court appointments given Hiraoka’s nomination for the posts.

Nominees must apply for the judgeships, which includes submitting applications and recommendations to the Judicial Selection Commission, which is made up of nine people who are appointed to six-year terms. Among the commissioners, two are appointed by the governor, two by the Senate president, two by the House speaker, two by the Hawaii State Bar Association and one by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Commissioner Keith Hunter is the only member of the committee appointed by Ige.

Each nominee must receive votes from at least five of the nine commissioners to make the list sent to the governor, which can include four to six names, according to the Judicial Selection Commission rules.

Hiraoka is not the only attorney who made both Circuit Court lists.

Other nominees to fill the seat of Alm are Judge James H. Ashford, District Court of the First Circuit; attorneys Todd W. Eddins and Jeffrey A. Hawk; Judge Catherine H. Remigio, Family Court of the First Circuit; and Judge Paul B.K. Wong, District Court of the First Circuit.

Other nominees to fill the seat of Ahn are attorneys Eddins, Hawk and Darolyn Lendio Heim; Chief Deputy Public Defender, Hawaii, attorney Timothy E. Ho; and Wong.

There were 29 applicants, including a mix of government and private-sector attorneys and judges, for each Circuit Court vacancy, according to a news release from the Judiciary Selection Commission.

The annual salary for judges on the Intermediate Court of Appeals is set at $202,596; it’s $197,112 for circuit judges.