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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, July 5, 2002

Group organizes judicial committee

Advertiser Staff

The Hawai'i chapter of the American Judicature Society has formed a special committee to review issues relating to the state's judicial merit selection and retention process.

The Special Committee on Judicial Selection and Retention will consult with the Judicial Selection Commission, judges, the Hawai'i Bar Association and community organizations. It will then make recommendations to the board of the Hawai'i chapter of the American Judicature Society.

The society is a nonprofit organization that addresses concerns related to judicial selection, juries, court administration, ethics in the courts and the public's understanding of the justice system. The organization also assists the state in organizing and advising the Judicial Selection Commission, which screens applicants and submits a list of potential judges to the governor.

As members of the special committee, the chapter named: Robert Alm, senior vice president of public affairs, Hawaiian Electric Co.; Circuit Judges Marcia Waldorf, Gary W.B. Chang, Reynaldo Graulty, Virginia Crandall and Victoria Marks; lawyers Daniel Case, Bert Kobayashi Jr., Margaret Masunaga and Gerald Sekiya; Jo Kamae Byrne, president, Honolulu Information Services; Momi Cazimero, former vice chairwoman, Hawai'i Judicial Selection Commission; Leonardo Hoshijo, education director, Hawai'i Carpenters Union; Beverly Ann Deepe Keever, professor of journalism, University of Hawai'i'; and Kenneth Matsuura, president, GE Capital Hawai'i.

Lawrence Okinaga, past president of the American Judicature Society, will be an ex-officio member of the committee.