The Judicial Selection Commission has announced a list of nominees for the position of District Judge at the District Court of the First Circuit on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. This vacancy arose following the elevation of former District Judge Brian A. Costa to Circuit Judge in September 2024.
In accordance with Article VI, Section 3 of the Hawaiʻi State Constitution, as amended by SB 2927 (2024), “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 four and not more than six nominees for the vacancy presented to the chief justice by the judicial selection commission.”
The nominees selected are Russ S. Awakuni, William C. Bagasol, Chad M. Kumagai, Taryn R. Tomasa Gifford, Wilson A. Unga, and Rochelle I. Vidinha (Cusumano). The Chief Justice now has 30 days from receiving this list to make an appointment.
The Commission received applications from 23 individuals—8 females and 15 males—with seven being first-time applicants. Among them were 11 government attorneys and 12 private attorneys; seven were per diem judges. Applicants ranged in age from their early thirties to seventies and had between 11 to 38 years of legal experience.
The recruitment process took 105 days and involved meetings held in March 2025 with seven commissioners present.