April 22, 2013 – April 21, 2023

Paula A. Nakayama became the first woman on the state Supreme Court in 26 years on April 22, 1993. Upon admission to the Hawai`i Bar in 1979, she served as deputy prosecuting attorney for the City & County of Honolulu, and later became a partner with the firm Shim, Tam and Kirimitsu. She was appointed as a judge of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit in 1992.

Associate Justice Nakayama received her undergraduate degree from the University of California at Davis and law degree from Hastings College of Law.