Sabrina McKenna | |
|---|---|
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| Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office March 3, 2011 | |
| Appointed by | Neil Abercrombie |
| Preceded by | Mark E. Recktenwald |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 7,1957 Tokyo,Japan |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | University of Hawaii,Manoa (BA,JD) Duke University (LLM) |
Sabrina Shizue McKenna (born October 7,1957) 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.
McKenna was born on October 7,1957,in Tokyo,Japan. [1] Her father was a professor from the Midwestern United States and her mother was a Japanese national. [2] McKenna's father died when she was 9 years old. [3] McKenna graduated from Yokota High School in Tokyo. [1]
McKenna attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa,where she played on the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine women's basketball team. [3] She was one of the first beneficiaries of Title IX. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese. [3] McKenna then earned her Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law. [3]
McKenna was an associate at Goodsill Anderson Quinn &Stifel until 1987,then served as general counsel to Otaka,Inc. until 1990. She became an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii Law School before being appointed a District Court judge on November 30,1993. She was elevated to the Circuit Courts on June 29,1995. [4]
McKenna was one of three candidates recommended to President Barack Obama by Senators Daniel Inouye and Daniel Akaka to fill a judicial vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii. [1] McKenna did not receive the nomination,which went to Leslie E. Kobayashi in April 2010. [1]
On January 25,2011,Governor Neil Abercrombie nominated McKenna to a seat on the Hawaii Supreme Court. [1] The Hawaii Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination on February 4 and advanced her nomination to the full Senate by a vote of 5–0. [5] Over one hundred pieces of testimony were submitted to the Judiciary Committee with respect to her nomination,the vast majority of which were supportive of McKenna. [5] Of the five testimonies that opposed McKenna's appointment,four did so because of her sexual orientation. [5] On February 16,2011,the Hawaii Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 23–0. [6] She was sworn in on March 3,2011. [7]
McKenna has three children. [1] [3] McKenna is the first openly gay judge to serve on the Hawaii Supreme Court. [1] As of 2023,she is one of twelve openly LGBT state supreme court justices serving in the United States.[ citation needed ]
Statewide political officials of Hawaii | ||
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| State government |
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| Senate |
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| House |
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| Office of Hawaiian Affairs |
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| Supreme Court |
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