WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate voted Thursday to confirm Micah Smith and Shanlyn Park to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.
Both were recommended to Pres. Joe Biden by Hawaii Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz and a merit-based Federal Judicial Selection Commission.
Smith, who was confirmed on a 57-41 vote, has served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii since 2018. He currently serves as deputy chief of the Criminal Division and Criminal Civil Rights Coordinator in that office. He has also been the office’s chief of appeals and legal strategy since 2022.
“Throughout his career, Micah Smith has proven to be a fair and impartial jurist, and it’s the reason he was confirmed with broad bipartisan support,” Schatz said in a statement released on Thursday. “He has the legal acumen as well as the character and temperament to serve on the federal bench. We were proud to support his nomination and look forward to him serving Hawaii and the nation with integrity.”
A graduate of Kauai High School, Smith served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York from 2012 to 2018. From 2008 to 2012, he was an associate and counsel at O’Melveny & Myers L.L.P. in Washington, D.C. Smith served as a law clerk for Justice David H. Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court from 2007 to 2008 and Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit from 2006 to 2007. Smith received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2006 and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania in 2003.
Park, who was confirmed by a bipartisan vote of 53-45, will be the first female Native Hawaiian District Court judge. She has been a state court judge on the First Circuit Court on Oahu since 2021.
“With decades of experience practicing law in Hawaii, Judge Park has led a distinguished career dedicated to public service,” Hirono said in a statement released on Thursday. “She has exhibited a commitment to justice, fairness and impartiality throughout her career and is highly qualified to serve on the U.S. District Court. As the first Native Hawaiian woman to serve as a federal district court judge, Judge Park’s confirmation reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to building a federal judiciary that reflects the diversity of our communities. We were proud to support her nomination and know that she will serve Hawaii and our country with honor.”
Park worked from 2017 to 2021 at the Honolulu law firms McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon, L.L.P. and Gallagher Kane Amai & Reyes. From 1997 to 2017, she served in the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the District of Hawaii. Prior to her service in that office, Park worked in private practice at Hisaka Stone & Goto from 1996 to 1997. She served as a law clerk for Magistrate Judge Francis I. Yamashita on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii from 1995 to 1996.
Park received her J.D. from the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law in 1995 and her B.A., cum laude, from Chaminade University of Honolulu in 1991.
“We are incredibly proud of Judge Park and are excited to see her serve on this level of court as a federal judge,” said UH law school dean Camille Nelson in a release issued on Thursday. “We know she will continue her stellar service on the federal bench. She is a true reflection of the activation of our mission at the law school — to cultivate a strong ethical, professional community among our faculty, students and alumni that serves a greater purpose.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.