STAND. COM. REP. NO. 660

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    GOV. MSG. NO. 507

 

 

 

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Judiciary and Labor, to which was referred Governor's Message No. 507, submitting for study and consideration the appointment of: 

 

First Circuit Court Judge

 

G.M. No. 507

TODD W. EDDINS,

for a term to expire in 10 years,

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     Your Committee has reviewed the resume and statements submitted by the appointee and finds Todd W. Eddins to possess the requisite qualifications to be considered for appointment to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, State of Hawaii.

 

     Testimony in support of the appointment of Mr. Eddins was submitted by Chief United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright, United States District Court, District of Hawaii; Office of the Federal Public Defender, District of Hawaii; Department of the Attorney General; Office of the State Public Defender; Judge Linda C.J. Lee, The Court of Appeals of the State of Washington; Retired Judge Victoria S. Marks, Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit; Retired Judge Eden Hifo, Circuit Court Judge of the First Circuit; Hoomana Pono, LLC; Waiahole Waikane Community Association; and fifty-eight individuals.  Comments regarding the appointee were submitted by the Hawaii State Bar Association Board of Directors.

 

     Mr. Eddins received his Bachelor's degree from the College of William & Mary.  He subsequently obtained his Doctorate of Jurisprudence from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he served as the Executive Editor of the University of Hawaii Law Review and was one of the core group of law student leaders who initiated public service as a graduation requirement.  The public service graduation requirement was the first in the nation.

 

     Mr. Eddins is currently a sole practitioner of his own private law practice focusing on criminal defense and complex civil litigation.  He previously served as a Deputy Public Defender and provided civil litigation work for Galiher DeRobertis Ono.  He has tried approximately one hundred jury trials and two hundred bench trials during his extensive legal career and has represented clients in almost every Circuit and District Court in the State and the United States District Court, including many of Hawaii's most high-profile, complex cases.  Of particular note, he represented the Waiahole-Waikane Community Association in lease, eviction, and land transfer issues with the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii; represented the defendant in State v. Tayshea Aiwohi, which examined the constitutional, statutory, and policy implications of prosecuting mothers for prenatal substance abuse; and served as the plaintiffs' attorney for Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard workers and United States Navy veterans exposed to asbestos.

 

     Mr. Eddins is licensed to practice law in Hawaii and is an active participant in his community.  He has participated in the McCully-Moiliili Neighborhood Board and Waipahu Neighborhood Board and served as a high school mock trial coach for the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility.  He has also served as a coach for Kailua youth basketball and youth baseball and participated in the lawyers basketball for more than twenty-five seasons, including on the championship team several times in recent seasons.

 

     Testimony in support of Mr. Eddins' appointment indicates that he is a knowledgeable and skilled trial attorney whose practical knowledge of the rules of evidence will ensure that verdicts will not be overturned for errors and that his keen ability to interact with prospective jurors will translate to efficient and fair jury selections.  He possesses the necessary intellect to critically analyze legal issues, arrive at a well-reasoned decision, and clearly explain the basis for his decision.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary and Labor that is attached to this report, your Committee, after full consideration of the background, experience, and qualifications of the appointee, has found the appointee to be qualified for the position to which appointed and recommends that the Senate consent to the appointment.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

GILBERT S.C. KEITH-AGARAN, Chair