Senate confirms three judicial appointments

The state Senate voted Tuesday to confirm the Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald’s appointments of Jill M. Hasegawa and Joanna E. Sokolow to the District Family Court of the Third Circuit (Hawaii Island) and Gregory H. Meyers to the District Court of the Fifth Circuit ( Kauai).

Hasegawa replaces retired Judge Mahilani Hiatt. She is currently employed with Raymond K. Hasegawa, AAL, ALC, in Hilo, and also serves as a per diem judge in the District and District Family courts of the Third Circuit. Prior to that she was employed by Ashford & Wriston LLP from 2004 to 2017. Hasegawa is a graduate of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law, and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar in 2004.

Throughout her career, Hasegawa has served on numerous legal and community organizations, including president of the Hawaii Women’s Legal Foundation, Hawaii State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, William S. Richardson School of Law Alumni Association, and University of Hawaii Alumni Association.

Sokolow replaces Judge Wendy DeWeese, who was appointed to the Circuit Court bench. Sokolow is currently employed with Sokolow & Gibson, LLP, in Kailua-Kona, and also serves as a per diem judge in the District Family Court of the Third Circuit. Prior to that she was employed by the Children’s Law Project from 2019 to 2021, the Office of the Public Defender from 2015 to 2019, and Legal Aid Society of Hawaii from 2006 to 2015. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, and was Admitted to the Hawaii State Bar in 2006.

Throughout her career, Sokolow has been active in numerous legal and community organizations, including the Access to Justice Commission, Hawaii State Bar Association, and West Hawaii Bar Association, among others.

Meyers replacwes retired Judge Edmund Acoba on Kauai. He is currently employed with Meyers & Meyers, LLC in Lihue specializing in family law, criminal defense, and civil litigation. He is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School, and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar in 2002.

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