Under the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi, Article VI, Appointment of Justices and Judges, Section 3: “The governor, with the consent of the senate, shall fill a vacancy in the office of the chief justice, supreme court, intermediate appellate court and circuit courts, by appointing a person from a list of not less than four, and not more than six, nominees for the vacancy, presented to the governor by the judicial selection commission.”

The Judicial Selection Commission is pleased to announce a list of nominees for the judicial vacancy of Chief Justice, Supreme Court, State of Hawaiʻi.  The judicial office became vacant upon the retirement of Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald in October 2025.

The list of nominees selected by the Commission to fill the vacancy for the judicial vacancy of Chief Justice in the Supreme Court are listed as follows in alphabetical order:

• Lance D. Collins
• Vladimir Devens
• David M. Forman
• Benjamin E. Lowenthal
• Sabrina S. McKenna

The Governor has 30 days from his receipt of the list today to make his appointment.

Statistics

• Total Applicants: 5; 1 Females; 4 Males
• First Time Applicants: 0

 

• Government Attorneys: 0
• Private Attorneys: 2
• Justices: 2
• Judges: 0
• Per Diem Judges: 1
• Other: 1

 

• Age Range: 0 (31-40); 2 (41-50); 1 (51-60); 2 (61-70)

 

• Years Licensed Range: 20 years to 44 years
• Years Practiced Range: 11 years to 30 years

 

Additional Information 

• Days in Recruitment: 310 Days
• One (1) Applicant withdrew in September 2025 and is not included in the statistics above.
• Meetings held and decision made in February 2026 with 8 Commissioners present.