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

The Judicial Selection Commission is pleased to announce a list of nominees for the judicial office of District Judge, District Court of the First Circuit (island of Oʻahu), State of Hawaiʻi.  The judicial office became vacant upon the retirement of District Judge William M. Domingo in December 2023.

The list of nominees selected by the Commission to fill the vacancy for the judicial office of District Judge in the District Court of the First Circuit are listed as follows in alphabetical order:

• Russ S. Awakuni
• William C. Bagasol
• Michelle N. Comeau
• Harvey M. Demetrakopoulos
• Chad M. Kumagai
• Steven R. Nichols

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

Statistics

• Total Applicants: 16; 6 Females; 10 Males
• First Time Applicants: 1
• Government Attorneys: 4
• Private Attorneys: 8
• Per Diem Judges: 5
• Other Occupation: 4
• Age Range: 1 (31-40); 4 (41-50); 7 (51-60); 4 (61-70)
• Years Licensed Range: 11 years to 39 years

Additional Information

•  Meeting held and decision made in February 2024 with 7 Commissioners present.