Paula A. Nakayama | |
---|---|
Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii | |
In office April 22, 1993 –April 21, 2023 | |
Nominated by | John D. Waihee III |
Succeeded by | Vladimir Devens |
Personal details | |
Born | Honolulu,Hawaii,U.S. | October 19,1953
Spouse | Charles W. Totto |
Children | 2 |
Education | University of California,Davis (BA) Hastings College of Law (JD) |
Paula Aiko Nakayama (born October 19,1953) is an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court from 1993 to 2023. [1] After Rhoda V. Lewis,Nakayama is second woman to ever serve on the Hawaii State Supreme Court. She is also the first Asian American woman to serve as a state supreme court justice nationwide. [2] Currently serving her third term,Nakayama served her first term from 1993 to 2003 and her second term from 2003 to 2013. [1]
Nakayama is the daughter of Harry Nakayama,a WWII veteran of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team,and Harriet Nakayama,who were both born and raised on Maui. [3] At a young age,Nakayama moved to San Jose,California where she graduated from Blackford High School. She then went on to study at the University of California at Davis where she obtained her bachelor's degree in consumer economics. She obtained her doctorate of jurisprudence at the Hastings College of Law.
In 1979,Nakayama joined the staff of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu as a deputy prosecutor. [1] In 1982,she joined the law firm Shim,Tam,Sigal and Naito where she became a partner.
In 1992,Governor John D. Waiheʻe III appointed Nakayama to the Hawaii State Judiciary as a circuit court judge. [1] Confident of her skill,the governor elevated Nakayama to the Hawaii Supreme Court in 1993 — the first woman on the court in 26 years. [4] The Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission retained and reappointed Nakayama for a second term in 2003 and for a third term in 2013. [5] She retired from active service on April 21,2023. [6]
Nakayama's notable written opinions include her 1996 opinion that ruled policyholders can sue insurance companies for acting in "bad faith" for delaying payment of claims,and her 2000 majority opinion rejecting part of the state water commission's landmark decision that divided Waiahole Ditch water between Windward and Leeward Oahu,which reaffirmed the state's commitment to the public trust doctrine "to protect,control and regulate the use of Hawai'i's water resources for the benefit of its people." [7]
Nakayama is married to attorney Charles Totto,who formerly served as executive director of the Honolulu Ethics Commission. [7]
Patsy Matsu Mink was an American attorney and politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. She served in the United States House of Representatives for 24 years as a member of the Democratic Party,initially from 1965 to 1977,and again from 1990 until her death in 2002. She was the first woman of color and the first Asian-American woman elected to Congress,and is known for her work on legislation advancing women's rights and education.
The William S. Richardson School of Law is the professional graduate law school of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Located in Honolulu,Hawaii,the school is named after its patriarch,former Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William S. Richardson,a zealous advocate of Hawaiian culture,and is Hawaii's only law school.
The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions of the trial courts in which appeals have been granted. Appeals are decided by the members of the Supreme Court based on written records and in some cases may grant oral arguments in the main Supreme Court chamber. Like its mainland United States counterparts,the Supreme Court does not take evidence and uses only evidence provided in previous trials.
Ronald T. Y. Moon was the Chief Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in Honolulu,Hawaii. He served his first term from 1993 to 2003,and his second term from 2003 until retiring in August 2010. Moon studied at Coe College towards bachelor's degrees in psychology and sociology. He went on to the University of Iowa College of Law,where he obtained his Juris Doctor. He returned to Honolulu in 1965 and became law clerk to United States District Court Judge Martin Pence. He served under Pence for a year. In 1966,Moon joined the staff of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu where he was deputy prosecutor until 1968. He left public service to become a partner in the law firm Libkuman,Ventura,Moon and Ayabe where he stayed until 1982. It was from the law firm that Governor George Ariyoshi appointed Moon to the Hawaii State Judiciary as a circuit court judge. Governor John Waihee then elevated Moon to the office of Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in 1990. In 1993,Moon was once again elevated to become chief justice. He retired on August 31,2010.
Simeon Rivera Acoba Jr. was an Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Acoba served his first term from May 19,2000,to May 18,2010,and was retained by the Judicial Selection Commission to serve a second ten-year term from May 19,2010,to May 18,2020. He retired from the court effective February 29,2014.
Steven Henry Levinson is a former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. Levinson served his first term from 1992 to 2002 and was retained by the Judicial Selection Commission to serve a second ten-year term. He retired from the court,effective December 31,2008.
Mari J. Matsuda is an American lawyer,activist,and law professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She was the first tenured female Asian American law professor in the United States,at University of California,Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law in 1998 and one of the leading voices in critical race theory since its inception. Matsuda returned to Richardson in the fall of 2008. Prior to her return,Matsuda was a professor at the UCLA School of Law and Georgetown University Law Center,specializing in the fields of torts,constitutional law,legal history,feminist theory,critical race theory,and civil rights law.
Barbara Louise Milano Keenan is a senior United States circuit judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and a former justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Susan Naomi Oki Mollway is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and the first East Asian woman and Japanese-American woman ever appointed to a life-time position on the federal bench.
Barbara Lagoa is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Prior to becoming a federal judge,she was the first Latina and Cuban American woman appointed to serve as a justice of the Supreme Court of Florida.
Mark E. Recktenwald is the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
Sabrina Shizue McKenna is an American judge from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Since March 3,2011,she has served as a justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
Jill Aiko Otake is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.
Adrienne Camille Nelson is an American lawyer and jurist serving since 2023 as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. She was previously a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 2018 to 2023 and a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court from 2006 to 2018.
Lisa Miyoko Ginoza is an American lawyer from Hawaii who has served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii since 2024. She previously served as the chief judge of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals from 2018 to 2024.
Todd W. Eddins is an American lawyer who has served an associate justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court since 2020. He previously served as a judge of the O'ahu First Circuit Court of Hawaii from 2017 to 2020.
Micah William Janso Smith is an American lawyer from Hawaii who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii since 2024. He served as an assistant United States attorney for the District of Hawaii from 2018 to 2024.
Shanlyn Alohakeao Souza Park is an American lawyer from Hawaii who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii since 2024. She previously served as a judge of the Hawaii First Circuit Court from 2021 to 2024.
Vladimir Paul Devens is an American lawyer from Hawaii who has served as an associate justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court since 2024.