STAND. COM. REP. NO.1027

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2001

RE: JUD. COM. NO. 2

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred Judiciary Communication No. 2, submitting for study and consideration the nomination of:

TRUDY K. SENDA, Judicial nominee to the District Court of the Fifth Circuit,

begs leave to report as follows:

Your Committee received testimony in support of the nominee from the Lieutenant Governor, Circuit Court of the Fifth Circuit, District Court of the Fifth Circuit, Council Chair of Kauai, Federal Maritime Commission, Hawaii State Bar Association, First American Title Insurance Company, Kauai Economic Development Board, Okudara & Associates, Dwyer Imanaka Schraff Kudo Meyer & Fujimoto, and twenty-two private citizens.

The HSBA subjected the nominee to rigorous review and evaluation before rating the nominee as "highly qualified" for the position. That rating is the highest endorsement given by the HSBA for judicial appointment recommendations. The review includes a thorough evaluation of the nominee based on a modified version of the American Bar Association Guidelines For Reviewing Qualifications of Candidates for Judicial Office. The guidelines' criteria include: integrity, legal knowledge and ability, professional experience, judicial temperament, diligence, financial responsibility, public service, collegiality, and writing ability.

The nominee received a J.D. degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law, a B.A. degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a diploma from Kauai High and Intermediate School.

The nominee has been in private practice and has extensive experience in general litigation, including personal injury, workers' compensation, criminal law, construction contracts, commercial disputes, foreclosure proceedings, family law, real estate development and financing, and land use law.

The nominee has been an arbitrator for the Fifth Circuit Court and a Master Mediator for the Court Annexed Arbitration Program. She is on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii State Bar Association and the Board of Governors of the Consumer Lawyers of Hawaii. She is a member of the Kauai Bar Association and Association of Trial Lawyers of America. She is a member of the Kauai's Sons and Daughters of the 442nd/100 Regimental Combat Team, and is on the Board of Directors of the Kauai Humane Society and Kauai Island Utility Co-op.

Your Committee was impressed with the nominee's statement in her written testimony that she will strive to dispense justice, fairness, objectivity, reason, respect, and due process within the bounds of the law, striving to arrive at a fair and lawful solution. She states that she will practice pragmatism while not allowing a pragmatic approach to deprive a litigant of constitutional rights, and that she will do what is right as a jurist rather than what is popular in the community.

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, character, experience, and qualifications of the nominee, has found the nominee to be qualified for the position to which nominated and recommends that the Senate consent to the nomination.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,

____________________________

BRIAN KANNO, Chair