Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald has appointed Darien W.L. Ching Nagata to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of District Court Judge Barbara T. Takase.

The Chief Justice appoints District Court judges from a list of not less than six nominees submitted by the Judicial Selection Commission. If confirmed by the state Senate this session, Nagata will serve a term of six years.

Since 1998, Nagata has been a deputy prosecuting attorney for Hawaii County. She currently supervises the District and Family Court Domestic Units, and has previously supervised the Circuit Court Unit that handles child and adult sexual assaults, homicides and violent crime cases. From 2008 to 2014, Nagata was cross-deputized to serve as the Special Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii, where she assisted with Project Safe Neighborhood.

Nagata has served the Hawaii Island community for nine years as a volunteer arbitrator for the Court Annexed Arbitration Program, and as a volunteer mediator with the Hawaii County Foreclosure Mediation Program.

Nagata is a graduate of the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law, and was admitted to the Hawaii State Bar in 1997.