Nominees for Hawaii State Supreme Court announced

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Gov. Green announced Lisa Ginoza and Vladimir Devens as his two nominations for the Hawaii State Supreme Court.

The nominations were picked from among six names selected by the judicial selection committee.

The two positions were vacated due to retirement.

“One of my guiding principles for judicial nominations is to ensure diversity — in terms of gender and ethnicity, yes — but also in background and experience. These nominees have very different legal backgrounds, but the breadth and depth of their experience in different areas of law and practice were compelling reasons for me to choose them,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D.

Green said Ginoza graduated from Kailua High School and appreciated that she was from the community.

According to her bio on the Hawaii State Judiciary website, she did her undergraduate degree at Oregon State University and has served as an Adjunct Professor in Appellate Advocacy at the William S. Richardson School of Law. Ginoza was appointed to the Intermediate Court of Appeals in 2010 and was sworn in as Chief Judge on April 24, 2018.

“It is a great honor to be nominated to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court,” nominee Ginoza said. “I am grateful to Governor Green for his confidence in me and thank him for this opportunity. I look forward to meeting with senators in the coming weeks as they consider my nomination. I also thank the Judicial Selection Commission for its earlier role in this important process.”

Devens, also a proud product of Hawaiiʻs public school system, has successfully litigated wrongful deaths, medical malpractice and has represented SHOPO in many high profile labor matters, according to the Pacific Law website.

Devens served as lead counsel in the Hawai‘i Supreme Court’s landmark child abuse decision in Kahoohanohano v. DHS, has litigated constitutional privacy right cases, and handled significant litigation involving child sexual abuse issues and numerous wrongful death cases.

“I am truly honored and humbled with this appointment to the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court. I want to thank the Governor for having confidence in me. Having been born and raised in this community and having had the opportunity to serve many over the decades through a very diverse legal practice and through work in our community, it is an honor to be nominated. And should the State Senate confirm me, I will bring the same values, hard work, commitment, and dedication that has marked my decades of work as a litigator and through my service in the community,” Devens said at Mondayʻs news conference.

The nominees must be confirmed by the state senate after which judges are appointed to a ten-year term.

The Hawaii State Senate announced it will hold a special session to consider the appointments, beginning on Nov. 17, with a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. That will be followed by a floor session Nov. 20 and a decision making meeting in which the Committee will make a recommendation on the appointments.

The final votes are expected on Nov. 21.