Judicial nominee hearing today
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
The public will have an opportunity today to comment on Gov. Linda Lingle's nomination of state chief labor negotiator Ted Hong to the Big Island Circuit Court before the Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee.
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The state Senate committee will hold a confirmation hearing at 9 a.m. today in Room 229 of the state Capitol.
The Hawai'i State Bar Association board, in a rare move, voted to deem Ted Hong unqualified for the Circuit Court position because of concerns about his judicial temperament.
Hong's appointment is the most controversial of Lingle's judicial nominations, which have sailed through the Senate and were confirmed easily. Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), has said some senators have concerns about Hong's temperament.
Hong's nomination was also dealt a serious blow when the Hawai'i State Bar Association board, in a rare move, voted to deem him unqualified for the Circuit Court position because of concerns about Hong's judicial temperament. Meanwhile, some are criticizing the bar association's year-old policy to keep lawyers' comments about judicial nominees confidential.
In typical practice for judicial nomination hearings, most of the testimony submitted to Hanabusa's committee as of Monday supported Hong's appointment.
Hong, a former Hawai'i County assistant corporation counsel, is Lingle's appointed state chief labor negotiator and an interim member of the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents.
If confirmed, Hong would be one of three Circuit Court judges on the Big Island.
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
