HONOLULU — Gov. Josh Green has appointed current state solicitor general Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry to serve in a newly created judge position in the Hawaii State Intermediate Appellate Court.

What You Need To Know

  • Gov. Josh Green called the appointment "long overdue"

  • Guidry holds a bachelor’s degree in history (with highest honors) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a law degree from UH’s William S. Richardson School of Law
  • Joining the Department of the Attorney General’s appellate division in 2002, Guidry spent eight years as first deputy solicitor general before becoming solicitor general three years ago

  • The governor emphasized not only Guidry’s individual qualifications but the significance of her appointment to the cause of achieving gender equity within the state judiciary

“This appointment is long overdue, and we welcome the experience and commitment to public service that Kimberly will bring to the court system,” Green said at a news conference announcing the appointment on Thursday. “Her more than two-decade long career of working as a deputy attorney general demonstrates her commitment to public sector law and her familiarity with the appellate courts has prepared her well for the work necessary for this position.”

Guidry holds a bachelor’s degree in history (with highest honors) from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a law degree from UH’s William S. Richardson School of Law, where she served on the editorial board of the Asian Pacific Law and Policy Journal. 

Joining the Department of the Attorney General’s appellate division in 2002, Guidry spent eight years as first deputy solicitor general before becoming solicitor general three years ago. She has also served on the Hawaii Supreme Court’s Standing Committee on the Hawaii Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Board of Bar Examiners of the Hawaii Supreme Court.

“I am honored to receive this appointment,” said Guidry. “I know and fully appreciate the role, responsibility and work of an appellate court judge, and I would wholeheartedly take on this very important role with great passion and dedication.”

The governor emphasized not only Guidry’s individual qualifications but the significance of her appointment to the cause of achieving gender equity within the state judiciary.

If Guidry is confirmed, there will be 40 sitting female judges and 40 sitting male judges. If Michelle Drewyer, an earlier Green appointee, is also confirmed, it would mark the first time in Hawaii history that there were more female than male judges and justices in the state.

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