Retired judge to run for lieutenant governor

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

Retired state judge James "Duke" Aiona yesterday announced his candidacy for lieutenant governor as a Republican.

James "Duke" Aiona Jr., a retired state judge, yesterday announced he would run for lieutenant governor as a Republican on a platform of seeking improvement in social problems. As he announced his candidacy, he was flanked by his wife, Vivian, and niece and nephew Jenna and James Richards. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

Surrounded by his wife, Vivian, and several family members, Aiona said he decided to seek the office to improve the state's social problems.

In his 12 years on the bench, Aiona served on the Family and Circuit courts. He was the first judge for the state's "Drug Court" established in 1995.

After his retirement in 1999, Aiona served as a part-time Family Court judge. He said he saw the same problems with drugs, education and domestic violence as when he was first appointed to the Family Court.

"My professional experience allows me to address public safety, social services, our substance abuse epidemic that we have, and domestic violence," he said. "I've seen it from a perspective that very few see it from and how I've had to dealt with it and the frustration that I had in dealing with."

Aiona blamed many of the state's problems, including voter apathy, on the Democrats.

"I firmly believe that the voters in this community, when they look at an election year, they say, 'Why am I voting? What difference is it going to make? It's not going to make a difference. Democrats run everything,' " he said.

Aiona is a 1973 graduate of St. Louis School, where he was a scholar-athlete. He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Pacific and his law degree in 1981 from the University of Hawai'i's William Richardson School of Law.

He served in the city prosecutor's office and Corporation Counsel office before being appointed to the District Court in 1990.