HONOLULU — The Hawaii State Senate on Thursday unanimously confirmed three judges to serve on the Circuit Court of the First Circuit on Oahu.

What You Need To Know

  • James Kawashima, Timothy Ho and John Montalbano were each interviewed by the Senate judiciary committee on Monday, and each nomination was unanimously recommended for consent at a follow-up session on Wednesday

  • Kawashima was approved for a term to expire in 2032. Both Ho and Montalbano’s terms will expire in six years.

  • The confirmation marked the successful end of a dozen-year quest for Ho, a former chief deputy public defender who shared his desire to serve as a full-time judge in emotional testimony before the judiciary committee earlier in the week

  • Kawashima, who will replace retired Judge Bert Ayabe, is a judge with the District Court of the First Circuit and previously served as a per diem judge with the District Court

James Kawashima, Timothy Ho and John Montalbano were each interviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday, and each nomination was unanimously recommended for consent at a follow-up session on Wednesday.

Kawashima was approved for a term to expire in 2032. Both Ho and Montalbano’s terms will expire in six years.

The confirmation marked the successful end of a dozen-year quest for Ho, a former chief deputy public defender who shared his desire to serve as a full-time judge in emotional testimony before the judiciary committee earlier in the week.

“This has been a long journey for me,” Ho told the committee. “I’ve been applying pretty much for every position since 2010, and I’m finally here.

“I was enjoying this process, meeting with senators and discussion my views but on the precipice of this moment, I started to panic, I think because I’ve wanted this so long. It means so much for me to be here.”

At Thursday’s floor session, Sen. Kurt Fevella, the lone Republican in the Senate, acknowledged Ho’s perseverance in seeking a judicial position and likened it to his own political path.

“If I had given up, I wouldn’t be here,” said Fevella, who also expressed his belief that Ho would be a “law-and-order judge” despite his background as a public defender.

Ho is a per diem judge with the District Court of the First Circuit and previously worked as an associate attorney in private practice, served as chief deputy public defender, and helped with various positions at the Office of the Public Defender. He also worked as a lecturer and adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii’s William S. Richardson School of Law. He did his undergraduate studies at Creighton University and earned his J.D. at Richardson.

He will replace Judge Kevin Morikone.

Kawashima, who will replace retired Judge Bert Ayabe, is a judge with the District Court of the First Circuit and previously served as a per diem judge with the District Court. He was also an attorney in private practice, chief instructor of the SAT program at Le Jardin Academy and Punahou School. He was an adjunct instructor with Kapiolani Community College’s paralegal program. He is a graduate of Princeton University and holds a J.D. from the University of Southern California.

Montalbano will replace retired Judge Sheri-Ann Iha in District Family Court. He has served as a per diem District Court judge since 2014. He is currently on temporary active duty as the Deputy Command Judge Advocate for the 9th Mission Support Command in the U.S Army Reserve. Prior to that, he worked in family law at Farrell & Associates, LLLC, and in civil litigation with Fukunaga Matayoshi Hershey & Ching, LLP. In 2006, he deployed as trial counsel with the 657th Area Support Group in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served as a deputy prosecuting attorney with the City and County of Honolulu from 2002 to 2008. Montalbano is a graduate of Golden Gate University School of Law and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar in 2001.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii.