Question: I noticed in the “Legal Notices” section of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that the state Judiciary expects vacancies for the position of Family Court judge. Interested applicants have an April deadline for applying. Is there some website that the public can go to to learn the names of those who have applied for those vacancies, as that would determine whether a member of the public would want to provide input or testimony in support of or against a candidate? It would be the public’s way of deciding whether to submit testimony regarding that applicant’s fitness to serve.

Answer: No. The names of applicants are not released unless they clear the Judicial Selection Commission and are actually nominated for the position.

“The rules of the Judicial Selection Commission govern confidentiality requirements for this process. Under Section 2, applicants’ names are confidential. After the JSC selects the nominees for a judicial position and submits the list of nominees to the appointing authority (either the Governor or the Chief Justice) for selection, the nominees’ names are disclosed to the public. The public is then invited to comment upon or provide input on the nominees to the appointing authority,” Jan Kagehiro, a spokeswoman for the state Judiciary, said in an email.

You can read the commission’s rules at 808ne.ws/jscrules; the confidentiality section Kagehiro mentioned is found in Rule 5, “Code of Conduct for Commission Members.”

The district family judge post you asked about would have not less than six nominees.

The notice about it on the Judiciary website said the deadline to apply is April 25, for a six-year term that pays $193,272 a year and carries a mandatory retirement age of 70. The online notice, at 808ne.ws/famvac, contains a link to the application.

Rule 10 for the Judicial Selection Commission says the commission shall consider each applicant’s background, professional skills and character and may consider the following qualities: integrity and moral courage; legal ability and experience; intelligence and wisdom; compassion and fairness; diligence and decisiveness; judicial temperament and “such other qualities that the commission deems appropriate.”

Q: How long after April 25 will it take to make nominations and release names?

A: It’s impossible to say. “There is no time frame for the submission of names,” Kagehiro said. “However, upon receipt of the names for a particular judicial position, the appointing authority publishes the list on the Judiciary’s website and provides time for public comment.”

The Judiciary website is at www.courts.state.hi.us. You also can subscribe to the JSC mailing list for email notifications. To do so, email judselect.comm@courts.hawaii.gov and write “Subscribe” in the subject line.

Mahalo

I am so grateful to a very nice lady who helped me locate my car at the Kaneohe Safeway parking lot Saturday afternoon after my grocery shopping. I was so flustered after going through the parking lanes; I needed help, so I asked the first person who was parking her car. After looking for my car on foot, she suggested getting into her car to look farther from where I thought I had parked. After about three or four lanes, we found my Camry. I feel so stupid for not asking her name, and I need to thank her somehow.

So, thanks a million, nice lady. You know who you are. May the good Lord bless you and look over you for the good deed done for a frightened retiree. — Grateful senior

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.