Judicial Selection Commission
Archive of Current and Past Members of Judicial Selection
Forms
JSC Archives
The Judicial Selection Commission reviews and evaluates applications for all judicial vacancies, and vote, by secret ballot, to select qualified nominees. Established by a 1978 state constitutional amendment, the Commission is governed by the Judicial Selection Commission Rules (157 KB PDF file).
The names of the nominees are then forwarded to the appropriate appointing authority. The governor is the appointing authority to nominate judges of the Supreme Court, Intermediate Court of Appeals, and Circuit Court for an initial ten-year term. The governor selects appointees from a list of not less than four and not more than six names submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission. The commission submits a list of at least six names to the chief justice who nominates judges for district and district family court to six-year terms. All nominations are subject to confirmation by the state senate.
The Commission also determines whether a justice or judge shall be retained in office. The Commission publicizes the fact that a justice or judge is seeking retention so that all persons who might have an interest in the matter be informed of the opportunity to comment.
Comments about justices and judges seeking appointment or retention should be submitted to:
Contact Information:
Judicial Selection Commission
417 South King Street
Honolulu, Hawai`i 96813-2902
Telephone: (808) 538-5200
Fax: (808) 538-5205
The Commission is composed of nine members, no more than four of whom may be lawyers. The members, who serve staggered six-year terms, are selected or elected as follows:
| Member | Term | Appointing/Electing Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey S. Portnoy, Vice Chair | 04/02/21 – 08/02/24 | Bar |
| Dawn P.N. Mahi | 04/02/19 – 04/01/25 | Governor |
| Francine Dudoit-Tagupa | 09/09/20 – 04/01/26 | Senate President |
| Kamani B. Kualaʻau, Chair | 04/02/21 – 04/01/27 | House Speaker |
| David McEwan, Secretary | 04/02/21 – 04/01/27 | Governor |
| Sylvia Yuen | 04/02/22 – 04/01/28 | Chief Justice |
| Edmund D. Acoba | 04/02/23 – 04/01/29 | Senate President |
| Florence T. Nakakuni | 04/02/23 – 04/01/29 | House Speaker |
| Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. | 06/07/23 – 06/06/29 | Bar |
Press Release Notices and Announcements
- Notice of Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – District Judge, District Court of the First Circuit (island of Oʻahu) (Release Date: 08/17/2023) (Release Date 08/17/2023)
- Notice of Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the Third Circuit (island of Hawaiʻi) (Release Date: 08/04/2023) (Release Date 08/04/2023)
- Notice of Judicial Vacancy – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit (island of O‘ahu) (Release Date: 07/07/2023) (Release Date 07/07/2023)
- Notice of Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit (island of O’ahu) (Release Date: 06/02/2023) (Release Date 06/02/2023)
Notice of Judicial Vacancy
- There are no Notice of Petition for Retention at this time.
Notice of Petition for Retention
- There are no JSC Request for Public Comments at this time.
JSC Request for Public Comments
- Notice of Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – District Judge, District Court of the First Circuit (island of Oʻahu) (Release Date: 08/17/2023) (Release Date 08/17/2023)
- Notice of Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the Third Circuit (island of Hawaiʻi) (Release Date: 08/04/2023) (Release Date 08/04/2023)
- Notice of Judicial Vacancy – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit (island of O‘ahu) (Release Date: 07/07/2023) (Release Date 07/07/2023)
- Judicial Selection Commission Press Release – District Judge, District Court of the First Circuit Nominees (Release Date 07/05/2023)
- Judicial Selection Commission Press Release – District Judge, District Court of the First Circuit Nominees (Release Date 07/05/2023)
- Judicial Selection Commission Press Release – District Judge, District Court of the First Circuit Nominees (Release Date 07/05/2023)
- Judicial Selection Commission Press Release – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit Nominees (Release Date 07/05/2023)
- Notice of Petition for Retention – The Honorable Jessi L. K. Hall (Release Date 06/09/2023)
- Notice of Anticipated Judicial Vacancy – Circuit Judge, Circuit Court of the First Circuit (island of O’ahu) (Release Date: 06/02/2023) (Release Date 06/02/2023)
- Request for Public Comments – Applicants for Associate Judge, Intermediate Court of Appeals, State of Hawai’i (Release Date: 11/04/2022) (Release Date 11/04/2022)