Walter Meheula Heen

Last updated
Walter Meheula Heen
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
In office
January 1, 1981 –December 16, 1981
Appointed by Jimmy Carter
Preceded by Dick Yin Wong
Succeeded by Harold Michael Fong
Personal details
Born
Walter Meheula Heen

(1928-04-17) April 17, 1928 (age 91)
Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii
Education University of Hawaii (B.A.)
Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.)

Walter Meheula Heen (born April 17, 1928) [1] is an American lawyer, politician and judge. He briefly served as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii and trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Law of the United States Overview of United States law

The law of the United States comprises many levels of codified and uncodified forms of law, the supreme of which is the United States Constitution, the foundation of the federal government of the United States. The Constitution sets out the boundaries of federal law, which consists of Acts of Congress, treaties ratified by the Senate, regulations promulgated by the executive branch, and case law originating from the federal judiciary. The United States Code is the official compilation and codification of general and permanent federal statutory law.

Judge official who presides over court proceedings

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and, typically, in an open court. The judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility and arguments of the parties, and then issues a ruling on the matter at hand based on his or her interpretation of the law and his or her own personal judgment. In some jurisdictions, the judge's powers may be shared with a jury. In inquisitorial systems of criminal investigation, a judge might also be an examining magistrate.

United States federal judge position in the USA

In the United States, the title of federal judge means a judge appointed by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate pursuant to the Appointments Clause in Article II of the United States Constitution.

Contents

Education and career

Born in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, Heen received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Hawaii in 1953. He received a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1955. He was in private practice of law in Honolulu from 1955 to 1972. He was a deputy city attorney of Honolulu from 1957 to 1958. He was a Member of the Territorial House of Representatives of Hawaii in 1959. He was a Member of the Hawaii House of Representatives from 1959 to 1964. He was a Member of the Hawaii Senate from 1966 to 1968. He was a Member of the Honolulu City Council from 1969 to 1972, serving as Chairman from 1969 to 1970. He was a Judge of the Hawaii District Court for the First Circuit from 1972 to 1974. He was a Judge of the Hawaii Circuit Court for the First Circuit from 1974 to 1978. He was the United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii from 1978 to 1980. [2] [3]

Honolulu State capital city in Hawaii, United States

Honolulu is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is an unincorporated part of and the county seat of the City and County of Honolulu along the southeast coast of the island of Oʻahu. The city is the main gateway to Hawaiʻi and a major portal into the United States. The city is also a major hub for international business, military defense, as well as being host to a diverse variety of east-west and Pacific culture, cuisine, and traditions.

Territory of Hawaii Organized incorporated territory of the United States, 1898–1959

The Territory of Hawaii or Hawaii Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 12, 1898, until August 21, 1959, when most of its territory, excluding Palmyra Island and the Stewart Islands, was admitted to the Union as the fiftieth U.S. state, the State of Hawaii. The Hawaii Admission Act specified that the State of Hawaii would not include the distant Palmyra Island, the Midway Islands, Kingman Reef, and Johnston Atoll, which includes Johnston Island and Sand Island, and the Act was silent regarding the Stewart Islands.

A Bachelor of Arts is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, sciences, or both. Bachelor of Arts programs generally take three to four years depending on the country, institution, and specific specializations, majors, or minors. The word baccalaureus should not be confused with baccalaureatus, which refers to the one- to two-year postgraduate Bachelor of Arts with Honors degree in some countries.

Federal judicial service

Heen received a recess appointment from President Jimmy Carter on January 1, 1981, to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii vacated by Judge Dick Yin Wong. He was nominated to the same seat on January 8, 1981. His service was terminated on December 16, 1981, after his nomination was not confirmed by the United States Senate. [3]

In the United States, a recess appointment is an appointment by the President of a federal official when the U.S. Senate is in recess. Under the U.S. Constitution's Appointments Clause, the president is empowered to nominate, and with the advice and consent (confirmation) of the United States Senate, make appointments to high-level policy-making positions in federal departments, agencies, boards, and commissions. A recess appointment under Article II, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution is an alternative method of appointing officials that allows the filling of vacancies to maintain the continuity of administrative government through the temporary filling of offices during periods when the Senate is not in session.

Jimmy Carter 39th president of the United States

James Earl Carter Jr. is an American politician and philanthropist who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as a Georgia State Senator from 1963 to 1967 and as the 76th Governor of Georgia from 1971 to 1975. After his presidency, Carter has remained a public figure; in 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in co-founding the Carter Center.

United States District Court for the District of Hawaii United States federal court of the 9th circuit

The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii is the principal trial court of the United States Federal Court System in the state of Hawaii. The court's territorial jurisdiction encompasses the state of Hawaii and the territories of Midway Atoll, Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Baker Island, Howland Island, and Jarvis Island. It is located at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building in downtown Honolulu, fronting the Aloha Tower and Honolulu Harbor. The court hears both civil and criminal cases as a court of law and equity. A branch of the district court is the United States Bankruptcy Court which also has chambers in the federal building. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases coming out of the District of Hawaii. The United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii represents the United States in all civil and criminal cases within her district. The current United States Attorney is Kenji M. Price since January 5, 2018.

Later service

Heen was an Associate Judge of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals from 1982 to 1994. [2] [3] He was elected in 2006 as a trustee of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs representing Oʻahu. He ran for re-election in November 2010, but lost to Peter Apo. [4]

Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals

The Hawaii State Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) is the intermediate appellate court of the Hawaii State Judiciary. It has jurisdiction over appeals from lower courts and agencies.

Office of Hawaiian Affairs

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is a semi-autonomous department of the State of Hawaii created by the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention.

Oahu The third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and site of the state capital Honolulu

Oʻahu, known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—about two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oʻahu's southeast coast. Including small associated islands such as Ford Island and the islands in Kāneʻohe Bay and off the eastern (windward) coast, its area is 596.7 square miles (1,545.4 km2), making it the 20th-largest island in the United States.

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References

  1. ↑ Men and Women of Hawaii. 9. Honolulu: Star-Bulletin Print Company. 1972. p. 239.
  2. 1 2 "Walter Meheula Heen". Office of Hawaiian Affairs . Retrieved December 10, 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 Walter Meheula Heen at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges , a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center .
  4. ↑ "General Election—State of Hawaii—Statewide Final Summary Report" (PDF). Hawaii office of Elections. November 16, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Dick Yin Wong 		Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
1981		Succeeded by
Harold Michael Fong
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