Glenn Kim Appointed to Third Circuit Court

Glenn Kim (center) and his supporters had a good reason to be all smiles yesterday after he was appointed to the Third Circuit Court of Hawaii after an hours-long State Senate floor session. Kim won his appointment by a larger than expected margin of 16 to 9 after most Democrat Senators split from their Judiciary Committee recommendation of "not to advise and consent". The approval of Kim by 11 Democrat and 5 Republican votes was a huge setback for Judiciary chairman Clayton Hee and his followers, who were opposed to Kim's nomination largely on the testimony and letters of two disgruntled former colleagues.

Support for Kim in the legal community was huge and a large victory for Governor Linda Lingle who made the appointment. It had been said that Democrats in the Senate would heavily oppose some if not most of her appointees as she heads into her second term of being Hawaii's first GOP Governor in more than 40 years.

Mark Recktenwald, Director of the State Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs was appointed by a unanimous vote of 25 to 0 in the State Senate to be Hawaii's newest head judge in the Intermediate Court of Appeals during the same Senate session.

Additional Links:

• Controversial Judge Gets OK, Honolulu Star-Bulletin
• Senate Confirms Kim for Bench, Honolulu Advertiser

Photo by Melvin Ah Ching