STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3124
Honolulu, Hawaii
RE: GOV. MSG. NO. 725
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirty-Third State Legislature
Regular Session of 2026
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 725, submitting for study and consideration the appointment of:
Intermediate Court of Appeals
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G.M. No. 725 |
DANIEL M. GLUCK 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 Daniel M. Gluck for service as Associate Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals.
Your Committee received testimony in support of the appointment of Daniel M. Gluck from the Office of the Governor, Office of the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu, and seventy-six individuals.
Your Committee received comments on the appointment of Daniel M. Gluck from 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, 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.
Mr. Gluck attended Cornell University, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial and Labor Relations. He received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School, where he was a Boston Schweitzer Fellow and a member of the LGBT Alumni Fellowship and Student Public Interest Network. Mr. Gluck has been licensed to practice law in the State of Hawaiʻi since 2003.
Since 2022, Mr. Gluck has served as a Deputy Corporation Counsel for the Department of the Corporation Counsel for the City and County of Honolulu. As a Deputy, Mr. Gluck has represented and advised city agencies and officials in litigation and non-litigation matters, with a focus on constitutional and administrative law. Mr. Gluck was awarded "Outstanding Deputy Corporation Counsel" in 2025 and has represented the City and County in a variety of matters, including wrongful death cases, negotiation of employment contracts, Sunshine Law compliance, and Second Amendment issues, and has made oral arguments before the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. Gluck previously served as Executive Director and General Counsel for the Hawaiʻi State Ethics Commission from 2016 to 2021. During that time, Mr. Gluck oversaw all operations of state agencies and was responsible for ensuring integrity in the State's government. Additionally, he supervised a staff of ten people, including five attorneys, managed a $1,200,000 budget, served as the Commission's spokesperson and chief counsel, and trained and advised state officials and lobbyists. Mr. Gluck also oversaw drafting and promulgation of administrative rules and successfully lobbied for the passage of eight bills in the Legislature to strengthen the State's ethics laws.
Before his extensive career in state and local government, Mr. Gluck worked at the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaiʻi (ACLU Hawaiʻi). From 2014 to 2016, Mr. Gluck was ACLU Hawaiʻi's Legal Director, where he oversaw all aspects of the organization's legal program. His duties included setting legislative priorities, lobbying the Legislature and county councils, serving as the spokesperson on constitutional law and policy, supervising staff and volunteers, and developing educational materials. Before becoming ACLU Hawaiʻi's Legal Director, Mr. Gluck worked as a Senior Staff Attorney from 2007 to 2014, where he investigated and litigated civil rights cases and worked extensively with marginalized populations.
Mr. Gluck's career also includes experience
in education and in the judicial branch at both the state and federal
level. After graduating from Harvard Law
School, Mr. Gluck served as a Law Clerk to Associate Justice James E. Duffy Jr.
at the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court from
2003 to 2005. Mr. Gluck then went on to
serve as a Law Clerk to United States District Court Judge J. Michael Seabright
at the United States District Court for the District of Hawaiʻi. Additionally, Mr. Gluck has worked as an
Adjunct Professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University
of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa,
where he taught a Civil Rights Seminar for three semesters in 2012, 2014, and
2015.
In
addition to his professional work, Mr. Gluck is also an active volunteer in his
community. Since 2015, Mr. Gluck has
volunteered as a pro bono attorney at the Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaiʻi,
where he has represented individuals before the Hawaiʻi
Supreme Court, in family law matters, and for asylum matters in federal
immigration court. Mr. Gluck also was a
volunteer instructor at the Domestic Violence Action Center, where he taught a
weekly class to help plaintiffs in restraining order cases prepare for their
hearings. Outside of his volunteer work
in the legal community, Mr. Guck actively supports his local community. He has volunteered with the Girl Scouts of
Hawaiʻi's
Troop 331 since 2023, where he is currently the Troop's Co-Leader. Mr. Gluck was also a board member of Emerging
Humanity from 2009 to 2016, which is a non-profit focused on health and
education in Kenya.
Testimony submitted in support of Mr. Gluck's appointment commends his tenacity, intelligence, compassion, and optimism. Testimony further commends Mr. Gluck's diligence, empathy, and commitment and dedication to the law and to members of the State's communities who are underserved and in need of support.
Your Committee finds that, based on the testimony submitted on his behalf, responses to questions asked by the members of your Committee, and your Committee's review of information about him and his qualifications, Daniel M. Gluck has the knowledge, dedication, and other competencies to be an Associate Judge of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, and possesses the legal expertise and integrity to fully and faithfully discharge the duties associated with that judicial office.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,
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____________________________ KARL RHOADS, Chair |
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