Gov. Josh Green’s appointment of Hawaii Solicitor General Kimberly Tsumoto Guidry as judge to the state’s Intermediate Court of Appeals could make history.
Should Guidry and his previous appointee, Michelle Drewer, be confirmed by the state Senate, the number of female sitting state judges will for the first time in Hawaii history outnumber male judges, 41 to 40.
“This appointment is long overdue, and we welcome the experience and commitment to public service that Kimberly will bring to the court system,” Green said in a written statement.
“Her more than two-decade-long career of working as a deputy attorney general demonstrates her commitment to public sector law, and her familiarity with the appellate courts has prepared her well for the work necessary for this position.”
Guidry was appointed solicitor general in 2019, and leads the Appellate Division, which handles appeals of statewide significance and has oversight authority over all appeals handled
by the Department of the Attorney General, a news release said.
The department said Guidry was its Employee
of the Year in 2015, and was the Appellate Division’s leader when it won the Team of the Year award in 2021.
“I and the whole Department are thrilled for Kim and are so happy that she is being recognized for everything that she has accomplished,” Attorney General Anne Lopez said in a written statement.
“A fair-minded jurist and a wonderful person, I am looking forward to seeing the next phase of her legal career, as an appellate judge.”
Guidry, a Hawaii native, received with highest honors her bachelor’s degree
in history from the University of Hawaii, and her law degree from the UH William H. Richardson School of Law.
Guidry said, “I am deeply honored to be nominated by Governor Green to this ICA judicial office. I look forward to the senate confirmation process, and to serving the State Judiciary honorably, enthusiastically and well.”
