U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii
Hawaii · A federal trial court, where federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. Appeals go to the Ninth Circuit.
U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii is a United States district court, a federal trial court where most federal civil and criminal cases are first heard. It lies within the Ninth Circuit, which reviews its decisions on appeal. This page lists every judge to serve on the court, current and former, with who appointed them and whom they succeeded.
Party letters here are the appointing president’s, never a judge’s own: D Democratic, R Republican, N pre-modern-party era (Federalist, Whig, and other early parties); “–” means no recorded party. Counts cover the court’s entire history.
Judges in active service
Senior judges
Still members of the court: senior judges have stepped back from a full docket but continue to hear cases.
Seats over time
Each band is one judgeship, from the court’s founding to today. A segment’s width is the holder’s tenure; its color is the appointing president’s party. Gaps are vacancies.
Susan Oki Mollway (current) · Jill Aiko Otake (current) · David Alan Ezra (current) · Derrick Kahala Watson (current) · John Michael Seabright (current) · Micah William Janso Smith (current) · Helen W. Gillmor (current) · Leslie Emi Kobayashi (current) · Shanlyn Alohakeao Souza Park (current) · Martin Pence · Alan Cooke Kay · Samuel Pailthorpe King
Former judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Alan Cooke Kay | Reagan (R) | 1986–2024 |
| Harold Michael Fong | Reagan (R) | 1982–1995 |
| Dick Yin Wong | Ford (R) | 1975–1978 |
| Samuel Pailthorpe King | Nixon (R) | 1972–2010 |
| Martin Pence | Kennedy (D) | 1961–2000 |
| Cyrus Nils Tavares | Eisenhower (R) | 1961–1976 |
| Walter Meheula Heen | Carter (D) | 1981 |
Magistrate judges
Appointed by the judges of this district to renewable 8-year terms, not nominated by the president or confirmed by the Senate. They handle pretrial matters, misdemeanors, and many civil cases by consent.
| Magistrate judge | Years |
|---|---|
| Wes R. Porter | 2019–present |
| Rom A. Trader | 2019–present |
| Kenneth Mansfield | 2016–present |
| Richard L. Puglisi | 2011–present |
| Kevin S.C. Chang | 2000–present |
| Barry Kurren | 1992–present |
Bankruptcy court
How a judge gets here. Each judge is nominated by a president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, then holds a numbered seat, for life, until they take senior status, or until they leave the bench. Open any judge to see who appointed them, how the Senate voted, and whom they succeeded, a chain that runs back to 1961. This court is also served by magistrate judges, listed above, whom the district’s own judges appoint. Read more on how federal judges are appointed.
Source: FJC Biographical Directory and CourtListener / Free Law Project (bulk data). Data as of 2026-08-10 (FJC); magistrates 2026-03-31 (CourtListener bulk snapshot). Verify against the primary source before relying.