authorizing the Chief Justice to appoint retired judges as emeritus judges

Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor (JDL) - chair: Clayton Hee, vice chair: Maile S.L. Shimabukuro

Thursday, February 7, 2013, 10:00 A.M. Conference Room 016

Testifier: Jean Aoki, Legislative Committee, LWV of Hawaii

Click here to view SB346

Chair Hee, Vice-Chair Shimabukuro, and Committee Members: The League of Women Voters of Hawaii strongly supports SB346 which would give the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court the authority to appoint judges who have reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 as emeritus judges. We have long felt that at age 70, most people are still as alert as ever, and coupled with the wisdom gathered through long living and working experiences, probably just as productive, if not more productive in their chosen field(s). And the process that precedes the actual selection of the judges as emeritus judges to fill a temporary vacancy for a maximum of three months gives ample opportunity for the testing of the fitness of the candidates. Thank you for this opportunity to testify in support of SB346.