STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1797

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  GOV. MSG. NO. 265
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred
Governor's Message No. 265, submitting for study and
consideration the nomination of:

     JOHN S.W. LIM, gubernatorial nominee to the Intermediate
Appellate Court, for a term of Ten Years, 

begs leave to report as follows:

     Upon review of the background information submitted by the
nominee, your Committee finds that John S.W. Lim holds a
Bachelor's degree from Harvard College and a J.D. degree from
Stanford Law School.  Mr. Lim has 16 years of law experience, and
was appointed to the Circuit Court in 1995.  He has also served
as a District Family Court Judge, President of Hawaii Lawyers
Care, and has provided legal counsel to the Waikiki Convention
Center Authority and the Hawaii Economic Development Corporation.

     Testimony in support of the nominee was submitted to your
Committee by:  the Judiciary; seven members of the Office of the
Public Defender; the Hawaii State Bar Association; the Korean
American Bar Association of Hawaii; the International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers Local Union 1186; the Convention Center
Authority; seven members of the legal community; and two private
citizens.  All testimony unanimously supported the nomination of
Mr. Lim by indicating that he is intellectual, approachable,
fair, compassionate, hard working, and is highly respected among
his peers.  Further, testifiers acknowledged that Mr. Lim
possesses the legal knowledge and ability, professional
experience, judicial temperament, and impartiality needed to be
highly qualified as a judge in the Intermediate Appellate Court.  

 
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     Your Committee members diligently questioned the testifiers
on Mr. Lim's character and on his decision in the Kimberly Pada
case.  After discussions with the testifiers and Mr. Lim, your
Committee has been assured that Mr. Lim exercised proper judicial
authority, and did not misinterpret nor misinform the jury
regarding the application of existing law in this case.  Your
Committee also questioned the nominee regarding his legal
experience, his experience presiding over Drug Court, his beliefs
about standards for issuing temporary restraining orders, his
philosophy on protecting individual's civil rights and his views
about public review of and participation in judicial retention.
Your Committee believes that the nominee adequately responded to
the Committee's inquiries.


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

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



                                   ______________________________
                                   AVERY B. CHUMBLEY, Co-Chair



                                   ______________________________
                                   MATTHEW M. MATSUNAGA, Co-Chair

 
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