HONOLULU – Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has appointed James C. McWhinnie to the District Court of First Circuit (Oahu). He will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Faye M. Koyanagi.

Since 1989, McWhinnie has been a Director with the firm of Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, handling primarily commercial, product liability, construction, environmental and personal injury cases. Prior to that, he was a partner with Rother, Bybee, Chang and Rulon. He also has extensive experience in all aspects of alternative dispute resolution, having acted as an advocate, arbitrator, and mediator.

McWhinnie has served as Secretary and Director of the Hawaii State Bar Association, as Co-Chair of its Judicial Administration Committee, and was a co-founder of the Lawyer Kokua Program. He also served on HSBA’s Fee Dispute Committee, Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, Litigation Section, and has volunteered in the Access to Justice Room at District Court.

He has been a member of the Supreme Court Special Committee on Judicial Performance for the past 17 years, and served as a delegate to the Hawaii State Judicial Conference from 1989 to 1992.

The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not less than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission.

If confirmed by the State Senate, McWhinnie will serve a term of six years.