Derrick Kahala Watson
Appointed by President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the Senate 94–0, Derrick Kahala Watson is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. He earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1991. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1966 · age 60
- Appointed by
- Barack Obama, 2013
- Confirmed
- 94–0
- Chief judge
- District of Hawaii, 2022 to present
- Education
- Harvard 1988 · Harvard Law School 1991
- Succeeded
- David Alan Ezra
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | District of Hawaii succeeded David Alan Ezra chief judge 2022 to present | Obama (D) | 94–0 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 94–0 on April 18, 2013 · 113th Congress, Roll Call 106. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 94
49 D, 43 R, 2 I
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- Kelly Ayotte(R-NH)
- Tammy Baldwin(D-WI)
- John Barrasso(R-WY)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Mark Begich(D-AK)
- Michael Bennet(D-CO)
- Richard Blumenthal(D-CT)
- Roy Blunt(R-MO)
- John Boozman(R-AR)
- Sherrod Brown(D-OH)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Ben Cardin(D-MD)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Bob Casey(D-PA)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Dan Coats(R-IN)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Christopher Coons(D-DE)
- Bob Corker(R-TN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- Ted Cruz(R-TX)
- Joe Donnelly(D-IN)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Deb Fischer(R-NE)
- Jeff Flake(R-AZ)
- Al Franken(D-MN)
- Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Chuck Grassley(R-IA)
- Kay Hagan(D-NC)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Martin Heinrich(D-NM)
- Heidi Heitkamp(D-ND)
- Dean Heller(R-NV)
- Mazie Hirono(D-HI)
- John Hoeven(R-ND)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Mike Johanns(R-NE)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Ron Johnson(R-WI)
- Timothy Kaine(D-VA)
- Angus King(I-ME)
- Mark Kirk(R-IL)
- Amy Klobuchar(D-MN)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Mike Lee(R-UT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Manchin(D-WV)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Claire McCaskill(D-MO)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Robert Menendez(D-NJ)
- Jeff Merkley(D-OR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
- Christopher Murphy(D-CT)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Rand Paul(R-KY)
- Rob Portman(R-OH)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- James Risch(R-ID)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Marco Rubio(R-FL)
- Bernie Sanders(I-VT)
- Brian Schatz(D-HI)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Timothy Scott(R-SC)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Jeanne Shaheen(D-NH)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Jon Tester(D-MT)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- Pat Toomey(R-PA)
- Mark Udall(D-CO)
- Tom Udall(D-NM)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
- Mark Warner(D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse(D-RI)
- Roger Wicker(R-MS)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 6
4 D, 2 R
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- William "Mo" Cowan(D-MA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Jerry Moran(R-KS)
- Elizabeth Warren(D-MA)
Education
| Harvard University | A.B. | 1988 |
| Harvard Law School | J.D. | 1991 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Private practice, San Francisco, California | 1991-1995, 2000-2007 |
| Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of California, 1995-2000; deputy chief, Civil Division | 1999-2000 |
| U.S. Army Reserve captain, JAG Corps | 1998-2006 |
| Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Hawaii, 2007-2013; chief, Civil Division | 2009-2013 |
Judicial Record
Caseload & case types
In our data, Watson was assigned 1,194 district-court cases (2003–2026). Median time from filing to termination: 177 days across 1,035 closed cases.
Case assignment is from CourtListener’s PACER-derived docket records: a partial sample, not a complete caseload, reflecting the judge last assigned each case. How we count.
On appeal
Of 128 of Watson’s decisions reviewed on the merits by the U.S. courts of appeals in our data, 104 were affirmed, 15 reversed or vacated, and 9 affirmed in part and reversed in part. This is a historical count of appellate outcomes for cases we could match, not a judgment of the judge, and not a complete record. How we count.
Questions & answers
- Who appointed Derrick Kahala Watson?
- President Barack Obama appointed Derrick Kahala Watson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii in 2013.
- Was Derrick Kahala Watson appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- Derrick Kahala Watson was appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was Derrick Kahala Watson's confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed Derrick Kahala Watson 94–0 on April 18, 2013.
- Which court is Derrick Kahala Watson on?
- Derrick Kahala Watson is a Judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.
Sources
Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: United States District Court for the District of Hawaii (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2013)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
See something wrong? Report an error. Fixes are logged in the corrections log.
13 years on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).