Lingle names city attorney for new appellate court seat
| • | Senate OK puts focus on rating of nominees |
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau
An attorney who has handled appellate issues for the city prosecutor's office has been named to the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday named Alexa D.M. Fujise to be the sixth judge on the Intermediate Court of Appeals. Fujise has worked in the Honolulu prosecuting attorney's office since 1984, and currently serves as director of the Research and Reference Support Division. She also has headed the office's appellate research branch and worked in the Office of Disciplinary Counsel.
If confirmed by the Senate, Fujise will fill one of two new positions on the intermediate appellate court, bringing the number of judges to six. Lingle appointed and the Senate confirmed Craig H. Nakamura to fill the fifth position in January.
The two additional judges are expected to ease the appellate case backlog, which has been a source of criticism against the Hawai'i Supreme Court and the Intermediate Court of Appeals. The case backlog has grown in recent years despite a decline in appeals.
Fujise yesterday cited her criminal law experience in helping to address the backlog, which she said has a large percentage of criminal cases.
Lingle also announced her appointment of District Court Judge Bert Ayabe to the Circuit Court to fill a vacancy left by Dan Kochi, who retired last year.
Before being named to the District Court last year, Ayabe was a private attorney specializing in personal injury and commercial litigation, arbitration and mediation. He also was a partner with the law firm Hisaka Furusho Ayabe & Goto.
Intermediate appellate court associate judges make $110,618 a year, while Circuit Court judges make $106,922 a year.
Senate Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chairwoman Colleen Hanabusa, D-21st (Nanakuli, Makaha), said she had not heard any concerns from senators about Fujise or Ayabe, whose District Court nomination was confirmed by the Senate last year.
But after the Hawai'i State Bar Association surprised many lawyers and others recently by rating former Circuit Court nominee Ted Hong and District Court nominee Simone Polak as unqualified, Hanabusa said she was not so confident the appointments would be free of controversy.
Hanabusa said Fujise's legal background does not include civil litigation or jury trial experience, and while that does not make her unqualified, it could be an issue for the bar association. The group had rated Polak unqualified because she lacked civil litigation and family court experience.
Lingle said she had received "overwhelming" responses from the public supporting Fujise and Ayabe. "These two people will be outstanding judges," she said. "They will give everyone a fair and objective hearing when they come to court."
Lingle selected the two from lists submitted to her by the Judicial Selection Commission.
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 525-8070.
