Daily Archives: January 12, 2013

On the evening of Friday, January 11, 2013, I attended a gathering of Deputy Prosecuting Attorneys and private attorneys at Gordon Biersch at Aloha Tower in Honolulu to say farewell to Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Dane Anderson who is leaving the Department of the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney to pursue a legal career in patent law.

On Friday, January 11, 2013, from 4:00 P.M., Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tricia Nakamatsu and I attended the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law’s Constitutional Convention held at the school. My former Hawaii State House colleague and now Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell spoke on his experiences interpreting the law as a lawyer and making the law as a lawmaker. He talked about how the 1954 Democratic Revolution was a bloodless revolution that changed the direction of Hawaii in reducing discrimination and providing opportunity for all. He mentioned Chief Justice William S. Richardson, Governor John A. Burns, and U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye as among those who brought about this monumental change.

After the formal program, I enjoyed talking with the Mayor Caldwell and the law students at their reception in the law school’s courtyard. Former Attorney General and now attorney for the Ironworkers Union Ron Amemiya was there supporting a law student he is mentoring. His son Keith Amemiya’s wife Bonnie is cousins with my cousin Grant Karamatsu’s wife Christine Ogawa. It was a nice event.

On Friday, January 11, 2013, at 11:30 A.M., Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney Keith M. Kaneshiro, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Tricia Nakamatsu, Victim Witness Advocate Director Dennis Dunn, and I attended the Hawaii Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee hearing on nominee Kevin A. Souza for District Family Court Judge of the First Circuit and nominee Dean E. Ochiai for Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit.

I worked with Judge Kevin A. Souza in 2009 to 2010 when I was House Judiciary Committee Chair and Judge Souza was an adviser for Lt. Governor Duke Aiona and also in my current position as Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the District Courts of the First Circuit while he was a defense attorney in 2011. Although Judge Souza and I were often on opposite sides of an issue in politics or in court, he has always been a pleasure to work with, which speaks volumes of his good character.

From 2011 to 2012, I got to call many calendars of cases and go to trial before Judge Dean E. Ochiai in the District Courts of the First Circuit. After court, Judge Ochiai liked to talk to me and other attorneys about law or life in general. One time, he even helped me pack my boxes of cases in Waianae District Court. I consider Judge Ochiai a role model for attorneys, future judges, and future leaders of Hawaii and our country.

Thank you so much to Governor Neil Abercrombie for releasing over $1.8 million for the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney of the City and County of Honolulu on Thursday, January 10, 2013. The funding will help the department in its key role in state mandated programs such as Career Criminal Prosecution, Drug Court, HOPE Probation (Hawaii’s Opportunity Probation with Enforcement), and Victim Witness Assistance.

Thank you to the following legislators who moved our funding bill through the Hawaii State Legislature: House Speaker Calvin Say, House Finance Committee Chair Marcus Oshiro, House Judiciary Committee Chair Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran, Senate President Shan Tsutsui, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair David Ige, and Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Clayton Hee.

Also, mahalo to all the vice chairs and members of the Hawaii State Legislature for their support of our funding bill in the committees and on the floors of the House and Senate.

We will continue to work hard to keep our community safe. Thank you so much!