The Hawaii State Senate this week confirmed Judge Lisa Ginoza and attorney Vladimir Devens as associate justices to the Hawaii Supreme Court. 

What You Need To Know

  • Lisa Ginoza has served as a judge on the State of Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals since 2010, advancing to the role of chief judge in 2018

  • Prior to her judgeship, Ginoza was the first deputy attorney general for the Department of the Attorney General from 2005 to 2010

  • Vladimir Devens was the founding partner of the Law Office of Vladimir P. Devens, established in 2013, where he was involved in litigation, appeals, labor relations, land use and other areas

  • He was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department for six years and has continued to serve the Department as a volunteer reserve police officer

 

“The two appointees have taken very different paths to the Supreme Court, but they both have rich professional and personal backgrounds that will serve our State well,” said state Sen. Karl Rhoads, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. “I am confident that these two justices will serve with intelligence and integrity. Mr. Devens and Judge Ginoza will bring their unique skill sets to the Supreme Court and serve with a sense of decorum and responsibility.”

Ginoza has served as a judge on the State of Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals since 2010, advancing to the role of chief judge in 2018. Prior to her judgeship, Ginoza was the first deputy attorney general for the Department of the Attorney General from 2005 to 2010. Her legal experience includes work in the private sector as a litigation attorney at McCorriston Miller Mukai McKinnon, LLP, from 1990 to 2005. She became a partner in the firm in 1996. Ginoza is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law.  

Prior to her confirmation, Ginoza served as the chair of the Commission to Promote and Advance Civic Education and was a member of the Board of Directors for the Judicial History Center Board of Directors for the American Judicature Society.

Devens was the founding partner of the Law Office of Vladimir P. Devens, established in 2013, where he was involved in litigation, appeals, labor relations, land use and other areas. He was previously a partner at Meheula & Devens, LLP (formerly known as Winer, Meheula, & Devens, LLP) since 1997, having started as an associate when he joined the firm in 1995. Devens has also represented several labor unions, including the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers, the Hawaii State Teachers Association and others. Devens is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley School of Law.

Prior to his confirmation, Devens served as a member of the Disciplinary Board of the Hawaii Supreme Court committee member of Crime Stoppers Honolulu, Inc. His previous public service roles included membership on the governor’s Hawaii Impaired Driving Task Force in 2013, and service as chair and vice chair of the State Land Use Commission from 2007 to 2011. He was a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department for six years and has continued to serve the Department as a volunteer reserve police officer.