Governor Ben Cayetano has appointed two Kaua’i residents as judges in Hawaii’s Circuit Court. Cayetano named Derrick H.M. Chan, Kaua’i County first deputy prosecutor, to the First Circuit Court on Oahu, and Kaua’i District Judge Clifford Nakea to the Fifth
Governor Ben Cayetano has appointed two Kaua’i residents as judges in
Hawaii’s Circuit Court.
Cayetano named Derrick H.M. Chan, Kaua’i County
first deputy prosecutor, to the First Circuit Court on Oahu, and Kaua’i
District Judge Clifford Nakea to the Fifth Circuit Court.
Chan “has vast
experience in criminal law as a defense attorney and a prosecutor. He’s a hard
worker with the personal character and integrity to make tough decisions,”
Cayetano said.
Chan has worked for the state attorney general and spent 10
years as a deputy public defender. He has served the last two years with the
county prosecuting attorney, most recently overseeing the appellate
division.
Nakea has been a judge for the past 20 years Cayetano said Nakea
“has an outstanding reputation” on Kaua’i “for being a fair-minded judge. He
has also been a prosecutor and a defense attorney. All his experience make him
deserving of elevation to the Circuit Court.”
Nakea is active in the Kaua’i
community, serving as a trustee of the Kaua’i Museum and helping with the
Department of Education’s student mock trial program.
Cayetano’s judicial
appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.
Chan was selected over
five other candidates—District Family Judge John Bryant Jr., lawyer Ronette
Kawakami, and District Judges Gerald Kibe, Rhonda Nishimura and Marcia
Waldorf.
There were four other candidates, all attorneys, for Nakea’s
position—Edmund Acoba, Max Graham Jr., Trudy Senda and Randal
Valenciano.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681
(ext. 252).
