The Judicial Selection Commission has announced the nominees for the position of Circuit Judge in the Circuit Court of the Third Circuit, located on the island of Hawaiʻi. This vacancy arose following the retirement of Circuit Judge Robert D. S. Kim in July 2024.
According to Article VI, Section 3 of the Constitution of the State of Hawaiʻi, “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 nominees selected by the Commission are Mark D. Disher, Brandon K. Flores, Kauanoe A. D. Jackson, and Scott K. D. Shishido.
Governor has been given 30 days from receiving this list to make his appointment decision.
Statistics provided by the Commission reveal that there were seven applicants for this position: three females and four males. Among these applicants were four government attorneys and one private attorney; one was a judge while another fell into an unspecified category labeled as “Other.” The age range among applicants was predominantly between 41-50 years old (five individuals), with two applicants aged between 51-60 years old. The experience level ranged from 11 to 29 years licensed.
