The Hawai‘i Senate confirmed Vladimir Devens to be the state Supreme Court chief justice on Thursday.
Despite controversy regarding Devens’ involvement with the political action committee Be Change Now — involvement that he allegedly did not initially disclose when Gov. Josh Green nominated him for the role — the Senate voted 20-5 to support his appointment.
Two of the votes against Devens came from senators Karl Rhoads and Joy San Buenaventura, who opposed his appointment during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last week.
San Buenaventura reiterated her concerns about Devens on Thursday, saying that Devens’ knowing involvement in Be Change Now — which ran an attack ad campaign against Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke in 2022, when Devens was one of the PAC’s three directors — reflects poorly on his character.
“To me, the character of a person is determined not when everyone is watching, but when no one is watching,” San Buenaventura said. “When people say you need to be upfront, be upfront.”
Rhoads and San Buenaventura were joined in opposition by senators Michelle Kidani, Carol Fukunaga and Lorraine Inouye.
On the other hand, several senators spoke in support of Devens Thursday. Sen. Mike Gabbard said Devens has been “tested on the bench” and his record reflects “careful, principled decision making and an unwavering respect for the rule of law.”
Sen. Stanley Chang said Devens has sufficiently apologized for his failure to disclose his prior affiliations, and has proven that he can be impartial when previous clients appear before him in court. He pointed out that Devens ruled in a case to require police officers to maintain bodycam recordings of interrogations, despite Devens’ prior association with the State of Hawai‘i Association of Police Officers.
Devens, who was confirmed as a Supreme Court Associate Justice in 2023, will be chief justice for a 10-year term, although state laws require that no Supreme Court justice can serve beyond the age of 70. Devens, currently 63, will therefore have to leave the role before then.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
