Gov. Josh Green and Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald pose with Circuit Court Judge Kauanoe A.D. Jackson (to Green’s right) and other Third Circuit judges after Jackson’s swearing-in ceremony.

 

Two Hawaiʻi attorneys with distinguished careers serving their communities were recently sworn in as new judges by Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald.

Kauanoe A.D. Jackson took the oath of office on June 2 during a ceremony at the Keahuolū Courthouse in Kailua-Kona. She is now a Circuit Court Judge of the Third Circuit (Hawaiʻi County).

“I am thrilled to have Judge Jackson join us,” Chief Justice Recktenwald said after administering the oath to Judge Jackson. “She is a person of great character, great ability—a seasoned litigator who is going to bring all that experience into our courtroom,” Recktenwald added.

Judge Jackson comes to the Judiciary from the Hawaiʻi County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney where she has worked for 18 years as a Deputy Prosecutor often handling high-profile felony cases.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., appointed Judge Jackson to the bench on March 27, 2025. Her appointment was confirmed by the Hawaiʻi Senate on April 22, 2025.

Judge Sonya Toma (wearing haku lei) poses with fellow judges and Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald after taking the oath of office. From left; District Court Judge Christopher Dunn, District Family Court Judge James Rouse, District Family Court Judge Sonya Toma, District Court Judge Annalisa Bernard Lee, Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald, Circuit Court Chief Judge Peter Cahill.

 

Sonya H. Toma took the oath of office on May 23 during a ceremony at Hoapili Hale in Wailuku. She is now a District Family Court Judge of the Second Circuit (Maui County).

Judge Toma brings a wealth of experience in family law and public service to the bench. Prior to her appointment, she served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney with the Maui County Department of the Prosecuting Attorney. Her diverse legal background also includes roles with the Maui County Department of Corporation Counsel, the Department of the Attorney General’s Family Law Division on Maui, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, the State Office of the Public Defender, and private practice.

A graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi William S. Richardson School of Law and a member of the Hawaiʻi State Bar since 2007, Judge Toma also holds licenses to practice in Indiana and Nevada. She has been a dedicated community advocate, volunteering with the Maui Self-Help Center and Volunteer Legal Services Hawaiʻi, and serving as a Kids First Parent Co-Facilitator for the Second Circuit Family Court’s Kids First Hawaiʻi program.

Chief Justice Recktenwald appointed Judge Toma to the bench on March 27.  Her appointment was confirmed by the Hawaiʻi Senate on April 22.

Swearing-in ceremonies will be held in the coming months for six more Hawaiʻi judges who were confirmed by the Senate during the 2025 legislative session. They are: Karen Nakasone, who will serve as Chief Judge of the Hawaiʻi Intermediate Court of Appeals; Karin Holma and Taryn Tomasa, who will serve as Circuit Court Judges of the First Circuit (Oʻahu); and Maria Penn, Rochelle Vidinha, and Wilson Unga, who will serve as District Family Court Judges of the First Circuit.