Governor chooses Chan for Appeals Court bench

Gov. David Ige has appointed First Circuit Chief Judge Derrick H.M. Chan to the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the Governor’s Office announced Friday.

The 61-year-old Chan fills the vacancy left by Associate Judge Daniel R. Foley, who retired in December.

Chan was chosen from a list of six nominees provided by the Judicial Selection Commission on Jan. 4. The Senate must confirm his appointment.

“In his years on the bench, Judge Chan has adjudicated cases in both family and drug courts, in criminal and civil trials, and in probate court,” Ige said in a written statement. “As an attorney, he represented individuals, organizations and the state. I have full faith in his ability to continue his service in the judicial system at the Intermediate Court of Appeals.”

The Intermediate Court of Appeals hears almost all appeals from the trial courts.

Chan was appointed a circuit judge Aug. 25, 2000. He served as Kauai County’s first deputy prosecutor and as an attorney for the Hawaii Carpenters Union. He was a state public defender and a law clerk to Judge Wilfred Watanabe.

He also served as state deputy attorney general. Chan graduated in 1985 from the California Western School of Law.