STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3190

                                    Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                      , 2000

                                    RE: JUD. COMM. NO. 4
                                        




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 Judiciary
Communication No. 4, submitting for study and consideration the
nomination of:

     GERONIMO VALDRIZ, judicial nominee to the District Court of
     the Second Circuit, for a term of Six Years, 

begs leave to report as follows:

     Upon review of the background information submitted by the
nominee, your Committee finds that Geronimo Valdriz holds a B.A.
degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa and a J.D. degree
from the University of Hawaii's Richardson School of Law.  Mr.
Valdriz worked in the Office of the State Public Defender from
1982 to 1987 and has been in private law practice since 1987.  In
addition, Mr. Valdriz's professional and community activities
include:  the Kids First Program; the Judiciary Guardian Ad Litem
Program; the Maui Children's Advocacy Center; the Friends of the
Children's Advocacy Center; and the Public Defender Council.

     Testimony in support of the nominee was submitted to your
Committee by:  the Office of the Federal Public Defender; an
administrator from the Family Court of the Second Circuit; eleven
members from the State Office of the Public Defender; two members
of the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney for the County of
Maui; the Hawaii State Bar Association; three members of the
Legal Aid Society of Hawaii; the Academy of Travel and Tourism;
ten members of the legal community; and twenty private citizens.
All testimony unanimously supported the nomination of Mr. Valdriz
by indicating that he is caring, intelligent, fair, and
hardworking. Further, testifiers acknowledged that Mr. Valdriz

 
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                                    STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3190
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has good judgement, common sense, and an excellent judicial
temperament which will be an asset to the position of District
Court Judge in the Second Circuit.

     Your Committee members diligently questioned the nominee
regarding the qualities he will bring to the district court; his
thoughts on the guardian ad litem programs on Maui; his views on
domestic violence; and how open juvenile proceedings should be.
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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