STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3583

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 2000

                                   RE:  GOV. MSG. NO. 310
                                        




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred
Governor's Message No. 310, submitting for study and
consideration the nomination of:

     KARL KENJI SAKAMOTO, gubernatorial nominee to the Circuit
Court of the First Circuit, 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 Karl Kenji Sakamoto holds a
B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii and a
J.D. degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the
University of Hawaii. Mr. Sakamoto's legal career includes
serving as a deputy public defender, an associate in the civil
litigation section of a private law firm, and most recently as
senior attorney and deputy executive director for the state Civil
Rights Commission.  Mr. Sakamoto's legal background has included
criminal and civil litigation, appellate work, and administrative
practice.  Further, Mr. Sakamoto participates in community
organizations including the National Employment Lawyers
Association Hawaii Chapter, the National Asian Pacific American
Bar Association, the Japanese American Citizen's League, and the
Honolulu Civic Entrepreneur Initiative. 

     Testimony in support of the nominee was submitted by the
Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, the Office of the Public
Defender, the National Employment Lawyers Association Hawaii
Chapter, and 20 private individuals and members of the legal
community.  In summary, the testimony indicated that Mr. Sakamoto

 
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possesses the necessary temperament and legal ability to serve as
a jurist.  Additionally, testifiers indicated that he is well-
prepared, willing to make decisions, and is a fair-minded person
with good listening skills.

     Your Committee members diligently questioned the nominee
regarding his thoughts on the creation of special classes of
criminal offenses, how to address substance abuse offenses, and
whether his civil rights experience would bias his opinions.
Additionally, your Committee requested clarification regarding a
public reprimand issued against Mr. Sakamoto by the Office of
Disciplinary Counsel.  Your Committee believes that the nominee
adequately responded to the Committee's inquiries.  Your
Committee also raised concerns regarding the perception of
potential conflicts of interest if Mr. Sakamoto continued to
serve as the President of the Board of Directors for the Japanese
American Citizens League.  Mr. Sakamoto agreed to tender his
resignation prior to his confirmation as a judge and your
Committee received notice of his resignation effective May 1,
2000.

     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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