STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 2027
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 675
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 675, submitting for study and consideration the appointment of:
Intermediate Court
of Appeals As Associate Judge
G.M. No. 675 |
KIMBERLY TSUMOTO GUIDRY, for a term to expire in 10 years, |
begs leave to report as follows:
Your Committee reviewed the personal history, resume, and statement submitted by Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry for service on the Intermediate Court of Appeals as Associate Judge.
Your Committee received testimony in support of the appointment of Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry from the Governor, Hawai‘i Women Lawyers, and thirty-eight individuals. Your Committee received testimony in opposition to the appointment of Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry from one individual. Your Committee received comments on the appointment of Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry from the Board of Directors of the Hawaii State Bar Association.
The Hawaii State Bar Association
Board of Directors (HSBA Board) uses a rating system that considers several
criteria to assist the HSBA Board in making a recommendation to your Committee
on whether the appointee is "qualified" or "not
qualified". Specifically, the
criteria the HSBA Board employs is the same criteria found in the American Bar
Association's Guidelines for Reviewing Qualifications of Candidates for State
Judicial Office. Those guidelines
include the following criteria, which are not exclusive: integrity, diligence, legal knowledge and
ability, professional experience, temperament, financial responsibility, public
service, health, and ability to perform the responsibilities and duties
required of the position for which the applicant has been appointed. Upon review of the established criteria, the
HSBA Board found the appointee to be qualified for the position of Associate Judge
of the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
Ms. Guidry received a
Bachelor of Arts in History with Highest Honors from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She then received her Juris Doctor from the University
of Hawai‘i at Mānoa,
William S. Richardson School of Law. Ms.
Guidry has been licensed to practice law in the State of Hawaii since 2002.
Ms. Guidry has been with
the Department of the Attorney General in numerous roles for over twenty years.
She currently serves as Solicitor
General and Supervising Deputy Attorney of the Appellate Division, where she
oversees most state and federal appeals and appears and argues in civil and
criminal cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Hawai‘i Supreme
Court, and Hawai‘i
Intermediate Court of Appeals. While at
the Department of the Attorney General, Ms. Guidry was a member of the 2021
Attorney General's Team of the Year, member of the 2018 Governor's Team of the
Year, and recipient of the 2015 Department of the Attorney General Employee of
the Year Award. Ms. Guidry also serves
on the Department of the Attorney General's Appeal and Opinions Review
Committee and trains deputy attorneys on the Hawai‘i Rules of
Appellate Procedure. Ms. Guidry's more
than two-decade long career with the Department of the Attorney General
demonstrates her commitment to serving the public and her specialized knowledge
in the area of appellate practice.
In addition to her
work for the Department of the Attorney General, Ms. Guidry serves on the
Judiciary's Hawai‘i Rules of Appellate Procedures Standing
Committee and is a Bar Examiner for the Hawai‘i State Board of Bar Examiners. For three months in 2006, she served as a
National Association of Attorneys General Supreme Court Fellow in Washington
D.C.
Testimony submitted in
support of Ms. Guidry's appointment commends her experience in appellate work,
professional ability, legal skills, work ethic, and integrity. Numerous testifiers also praise her high
ethical standards, as well as her compassion, thoughtfulness, and even
temperament.
Your Committee finds that, based on the testimony submitted on her behalf, responses to questions asked by the members of your Committee, and your Committee's review of her qualifications, Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry has the knowledge, diligence, and other competencies to be an Associate Judge for the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and she has the legal expertise and integrity to fully and faithfully discharge the duties associated with that judicial office.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the appointee, has found the appointee to be qualified for the position to which appointed and recommends that the Senate consent to the appointment.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,
|
|
____________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair |
|
|
|