Supreme Court of Hawaii
The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court in Hawaii. Its justices are chosen by gubernatorial appointment. This page lists every justice to serve on the court, current and former, with when they joined the bench and whom they succeeded.
| Justice | Since |
|---|---|
| Paula A. Nakayama | 1993 |
| Mark E. Recktenwald | 2009 |
| Sabrina S. McKenna | 2011 |
| Richard W. Pollack | 2012 |
| Michael D. Wilson | 2014 |
| Justice | Years |
|---|---|
| James E. Duffy Jr. | 2003–2012 |
| Simeon R. Acoba | 2000–2014 |
| Ronald T.Y. Moon | 1993–2010 |
| Mario R. Ramil | 1993–2002 |
| Stephen Henry Levinson | 1992–2008 |
| James Wakatsuki | 1984–1994 |
| Yoshimi Hayashi | 1982–1992 |
| Frank D. Padgett | 1982–1992 |
| Herman Lum | 1980–1993 |
| Edward H. Nakamura | 1980–1989 |
| Homer/ Alan Baird Kidwell | 1975–1979 |
| Benjamin Menor | 1974–1983 |
| Thomas S. Ogata | 1974–1981 |
| Bert Kobayashi | 1969–1979 |
| Kazuhisa Abe | 1967–1973 |
| Bernard Levinson | 1967–1974 |
| William Shaw Richardson | 1966–1982 |
| Jack Mizuha | 1961–1968 |
| Charles E. Cassidy | 1959–1967 |
| Rhoda Lewis | 1959–1967 |
| Wilfred Chomatsu Tsukiyama | 1959–1965 |
| Cable Wirtz | 1959–1967 |
| Philip L. Rice | 1955–1959 |
| Masaji Marumoto | 1954–1973 |
| Ingram Macklin Stainback | 1951–1959 |
| Edward Armstrong Towse | 1950–1956 |
| L. Le Baron | 1947–1955 |
| Samuel Barnet Kemp | 1938–1960 |
| Emil C. Peters | 1922–1949 |
| James Leslie Coke | 1917–1941 |
How a justice reaches this court. Justices of the Supreme Court of Hawaii are appointed by the governor to 10-year terms. The governor appoints from a Judicial Selection Commission list with Senate confirmation; reappointment is decided by the commission, not by popular vote. Selection methods vary by jurisdiction and have changed over time; this page reflects the court’s current method (source: National Center for State Courts). Open any justice to see their tenure and whom they succeeded.
Source: CourtListener / Free Law Project; selection method from the National Center for State Courts. Data last verified 2026-06-30. Verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).