Chief Justice Of The Hawaii Supreme Court Appointments - Recktenwald and Leonard

On Friday, August, 13, 2010, Governor Lingle nominated Associate Justice Mark E. Recktenwald to be the next Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court. His appointment comes one week after the Hawaii Senate did not consent to the governor's first appointment to the position, Intermediate Court of Appeals Judge Katherine Leonard.

Justice Recktenwald has served on the Hawaii Supreme Court since May 11, 2009. Prior to that he served as Chief Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeal from April 30, 2007 until his confirmation to the Hawaii Supreme Court.

Here are our posts on the appointment:

• Live blog of the Hawaii Senate Judiciary committee hearings on Justice Recktenwald

• Haw CJ v. 2.0

• CJ-Appointee Recktenwald's Supreme Court Opinions

• CJ-Appointee Recktenwald's ICA Opinions

• State Zoning Statutes As "Environmental" Laws - More On HAWSCT's Ala Loop Decision

We will be live-blogging the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Justice Recktenwald's appointment, just as we live-blogged the committee hearing on Judge Leonard.

Our posts on the Leonard appointment:

Governor Linda Lingle has appointed Intermediate Court of Appeals judge Katherine Leonard as the next Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court. With Senate approval, the term of appointment is ten years with the possibility of reappointment by the Judicial Selection Commission, with service until the mandatory retirement age of 70. Thus, it is possible that Judge Leonard could serve two decades as Chief Justice since she is only 50. Appointing her may be the single most lasting legacy of the Lingle Administration, as it could outlast the terms of the next two governors, and half the term of a third.

We've posted a few thoughts on the nomination, and have collected the posts here:

• Live blog of the Judiciary Committee hearing on Judge Leonard

• Judge Leonard's Opinions - a summary of Judge Leonard's recent written opinions, and a few others thrown in for good measure.

• More On Chief Justice-Nominee Leonard's Opinions - a commenter pointed out an opinion we missed.

• How To Evaluate The Leonard Nomination - our thoughts on what to make of her background and qualifications.

• More 2009 Chief Justice-Nominee Leonard's ICA Opinions - we summarized her opinions from her second year on the ICA.

Here are links to other reports and analysis:

• CJ nominee Katherine Leonard faces the first blades - Star-Advertiser columnist David Shapiro's blog post on the nuances.

• Judicial appointments will define Lingle's legacy - Mr. Shapiro's S-A column has more.

• Mainstream media haven't told us much about Chief Justice nominee's legal views - journalist Ian Lind's thoughts.

• Attorney objects to Lingle appointee for Chief Justice - Hawaii News Now reports on one lawyer's criticism.

• Seitz Attack on Kate Leonard completely inappropriate - Honolulu attorney Jay Fidell writes: "Eric Seitz' overblown opposition to Supreme Court nominee Kate Leonard should not have been dignified by an article reporting his views to the Bar Association without covering the views of other lawyers on the subject.

  On a mission, he said he spoke with 40 people who had "concerns" about Kate Leonard’s appointment, not because she isn’t a brilliant lawyer and judge, but because she doesn’t have "administrative experience." At 15 minutes per conversation, that would have been 10 hours of talk within only days after the nomination. I don't believe it, particularly since he declined to identify them."

• Lawyers group backs Leonard - S-A courts reporter Ken Kobayashi's report on Hawaii Women Lawyers "expressing their strong support" for the nominee.

• Leonard gets key endorsement - David Shapiro reports that retired Associate Justice Robert Klein "completely and without reservation support[s] her nomination."

• Nominee 'thoughtful, thorough and clear' - the Star-Advertiser's Ken Kobayashi reports on Attorney General Mark Bennett, former Hawaii State Bar Association President Paul Alston, and the State Public Defender's comments.

• Legislative Hearings Set for Judicial Nominees (from Jesse Souki at Hawaii Land Use Law and Policy blog).