Sabrina McKenna
Encyclopedia
Sabrina Shizue McKenna is a judge from the U.S. state of Hawaii
. Since February 16, 2011, she has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
, Japan
. Her father died when she was 9 years old. McKenna graduated from Yokota High School in Tokyo.
McKenna attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa
, where she played on the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine women's basketball team. She was one of the first beneficiaries of Title IX
. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
in Japanese. McKenna then earned her Juris Doctor
from the William S. Richardson School of Law
.
before being appointed a District Court
judge on November 30, 1993. She was elevated to the Circuit Courts
on June 29, 1995.
McKenna was one of three candidates recommended to President Barack Obama
by Senators Daniel Inouye
and Daniel Akaka
to fill a judicial vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
. McKenna did not receive the nomination, which went to Leslie E. Kobayashi
in April 2010.
On January 25, 2011, Governor
Neil Abercrombie
nominated McKenna to a seat on the Hawaii Supreme Court. The Hawaii Senate
Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination on February 4 and advanced her nomination to the full Senate by a vote of 5–0. Over one hundred pieces of testimony were submitted to the Judiciary Committee with respect to her nomination, the vast majority of which were supportive of McKenna. Of the five testimonies that opposed McKenna's appointment, four did so because of her sexual orientation
. On February 16, 2011, the Hawaii Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 23–0.
and Virginia Linder
, both justices of the Oregon Supreme Court
, Barbara Lenk
of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
, Colorado Supreme Court
justice Monica Marquez
, and Vermont Supreme Court
justice Beth Robinson
.
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. Since February 16, 2011, she has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii.
Early life and education
McKenna was born on October 7, 1957, in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Her father died when she was 9 years old. McKenna graduated from Yokota High School in Tokyo.
McKenna attended the University of Hawaii at Manoa
University of Hawaii at Manoa
The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a public, co-educational university and is the flagship campus of the greater University of Hawaii system...
, where she played on the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine women's basketball team. She was one of the first beneficiaries of Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Japanese. McKenna then earned her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from the William S. Richardson School of Law
William S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law is a public, co-educational institution of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. Named after the beloved Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William S. Richardson, it is the only law school in the State of Hawaii...
.
Legal and judicial service
McKenna was an associate at Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel until 1987, then served as general counsel to Otaka, Inc. until 1990. She became an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii Law SchoolWilliam S. Richardson School of Law
The William S. Richardson School of Law is a public, co-educational institution of the University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii. Named after the beloved Hawaii State Supreme Court Chief Justice William S. Richardson, it is the only law school in the State of Hawaii...
before being appointed a District Court
Hawaii State District Courts
The Hawaii State District Courts are a level of state courts in Hawaii.In addition, the District Courts have jurisdiction over:*Civil cases with an amount in controversy not in excess of $25,000 or where the relief sought is specific performance valued under $25,000...
judge on November 30, 1993. She was elevated to the Circuit Courts
Hawaii State Circuit Courts
The Hawaii State Circuit Courts are the trial courts of general jurisdiction in Hawaii. They are the primary civil and criminal courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The Circuit Courts are the only Hawaii state courts to conduct jury trials...
on June 29, 1995.
McKenna was one of three candidates recommended to President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
by Senators Daniel Inouye
Daniel Inouye
Daniel Ken "Dan" Inouye is the senior United States Senator from Hawaii, a member of the Democratic Party, and the President pro tempore of the United States Senate making him the highest-ranking Asian American politician in American history. Inouye is the chairman of the United States Senate...
and Daniel Akaka
Daniel Akaka
Daniel Kahikina Akaka is the junior U.S. Senator from Hawaii and a member of the Democratic Party. He is the first U.S. Senator of Native Hawaiian ancestry and is currently the only member of the Senate who has Chinese ancestry....
to fill a judicial vacancy on the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii is the principal trial court of the United States Federal Court System in the state of Hawaii. It is located at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building in downtown Honolulu, fronting the Aloha Tower and Honolulu Harbor. The court hears both...
. McKenna did not receive the nomination, which went to Leslie E. Kobayashi
Leslie E. Kobayashi
-Early life and education:Kobayashi was born in 1957 in Mount Holly Township, New Jersey, received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College in 1979 and her Juris Doctor from the Boston College Law School in 1983.-Professional career:...
in April 2010.
On January 25, 2011, Governor
Governor of Hawaii
The Governor of Hawaii is the chief executive of the state of Hawaii and its various agencies and departments, as provided in the Hawaii State Constitution Article V, Sections 1 through 6. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by popular suffrage of residents of the state...
Neil Abercrombie
Neil Abercrombie
Neil Abercrombie is the 7th and current Governor of Hawaii. He was the Democratic U.S. Representative of the First Congressional District of Hawaii which comprises urban Honolulu. He served in Congress from 1986 to 1987 and from 1991 to 2010 when he resigned to successfully run for governor...
nominated McKenna to a seat on the Hawaii Supreme Court. The Hawaii Senate
Hawaii Senate
The Hawaii State Senate is the upper chamber of the Hawaii State Legislature. The senate consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands. The senate is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membership of the body, currently...
Judiciary Committee held a hearing on her nomination on February 4 and advanced her nomination to the full Senate by a vote of 5–0. Over one hundred pieces of testimony were submitted to the Judiciary Committee with respect to her nomination, the vast majority of which were supportive of McKenna. Of the five testimonies that opposed McKenna's appointment, four did so because of her sexual orientation
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
. On February 16, 2011, the Hawaii Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 23–0.
Personal
McKenna and her partner, Denise Yamashiro, have three children. McKenna is the first openly gay judge to serve on the Hawaii Supreme Court. She is one of six openly LGBT supreme court justices in the United States, alongside Rives KistlerRives Kistler
Rives Kistler is an American attorney and judge in the state of Oregon. After college and law school on the East Coast, he moved to Oregon where he worked in private practice before joining the Oregon Department of Justice...
and Virginia Linder
Virginia Linder
Virginia Lynn Linder is an American judge from Oregon who has served, since January 2007, as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She had previously served since 1997 on the Oregon Court of Appeals...
, both justices of the Oregon Supreme Court
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
, Barbara Lenk
Barbara Lenk
Barbara A. Lenk is an Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. On April 4, 2011, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick nominated her to to that position and she was confirmed by the Governor's Council on May 4, 2011. She took the oath of office on June 8.-Early life and...
of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The SJC has the distinction of being the oldest continuously functioning appellate court in the Western Hemisphere.-History:...
, Colorado Supreme Court
Colorado Supreme Court
The Colorado Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Colorado. Located in Denver, the Court consists of a Chief Justice and six Associate Justices.-Appellate jurisdiction:...
justice Monica Marquez
Monica Marquez
Monica Marie Márquez is a jurist and judge from the state of Colorado who serves as an associate justice of the Colorado Supreme Court. Previously a Deputy Colorado Attorney General, governor Bill Ritter appointed her to the supreme court in 2010 to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of...
, and Vermont Supreme Court
Vermont Supreme Court
The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont and is one of seven state courts of Vermont.The Court consists of a chief justice and four associate justices; the Court mostly hears appeals of cases that have been decided by other courts...
justice Beth Robinson
Beth Robinson
Beth Robinson is an American lawyer from Vermont who was appointed in October 2011 to the Vermont Supreme Court. Her nomination, made by Governor Peter Shumlin, requires confirmation from the Vermont Senate although, according to the Burlington Free Press, this is "seen as assured"...
.