Over 65 members and friends registered for the AJS annual meeting and program held on December 3 at the festively decorated Pacific Club. Chairman of the Board of Directors, Larry Okinaga, conducted the membership meeting, announcing that the Board approved Doug Chin to serve as President for the coming year. The Board also approved the addition of two new members: George Miller, current AJS legal counsel, and Gerald Hurst, retired Vice President and General Counsel of RBC Bank in Georgia.
In introducing the keynote presenter, Mr. Okinaga noted that this would be the last AJS keynote address by Mark Recktenwald as Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court as he will reach the mandatory retirement age for all judges and justices in October 2025. He praised the Chief Justice for his strong and consistent support of AJS over the years. Chief Justice Recktenwald focused his presentation on how AJS’s actions and advocacy have strengthened and improved Hawaii’s judiciary.
The program’s theme, “Oceania and the Rule of Law,” featured presentations by J. Michael Seabright, Senior Judge of the US District Court for the District of Hawai’i and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Marshall Islands, and Daniel R. Foley, Associate Judge (Ret.) of the Hawai’i Intermediate Court of Appeals and non-resident Justice of the Supreme Court of Palau. Dean Camille Nelson of the William S. Richardson School of Law adeptly moderated the session, engaging both speakers in an in-depth and insightful conversation on Oceania’s “Rule of Law,” its historical underpinnings, evolution, and possible future.
Attendees enjoyed delicious food and drinks while socializing with colleagues and new acquaintances during the reception
