Sabrina McKenna

Sabrina McKenna
Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii
Incumbent
Assumed office March 3, 2011
Appointed by	Neil Abercrombie
Preceded by	Mark E. Recktenwald
Personal details
Born	(1957-10-07) October 7, 1957 (age 67) Tokyo, Japan
Children	3
Education	University of Hawaii, Manoa (BA, JD)

Sabrina Shizue McKenna (born October 7, 1957) is an American judge from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Since March 3, 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 Tokyo, Japan.[1] Her father was a professor from the Midwestern United States and her mother was a Japanese national.[2] McKenna's father died when she was 9 years old.[3] McKenna graduated from Yokota High School in Tokyo.[1]

McKenna attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she played on the Hawaii Rainbow Wahine women's basketball team.[3] She was one of the first beneficiaries of Title IX. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Japanese.[3] McKenna then earned her Juris Doctor from the William S. Richardson School of Law.[3]

Career

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 School before being appointed a District Court judge on November 30, 1993. She was elevated to the Circuit Courts on June 29, 1995.[4]

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.[1] McKenna did not receive the nomination, which went to Leslie E. Kobayashi in April 2010.[1]

On January 25, 2011, Governor Neil Abercrombie nominated McKenna to a seat on the Hawaii Supreme Court.[1] 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.[5] 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.[5] Of the five testimonies that opposed McKenna's appointment, four did so because of her sexual orientation.[5] On February 16, 2011, the Hawaii Senate approved her nomination by a vote of 23–0.[6] She was sworn in on March 3, 2011.[7]

Personal

McKenna has three children.[1][3] McKenna is the first openly gay judge to serve on the Hawaii Supreme Court.[1] As of 2023, she is one of twelve openly LGBT state supreme court justices serving in the United States.^[citation needed]

See also

• List of Asian American jurists
• List of LGBT jurists in the United States
• List of LGBT state supreme court justices in the United States

References

1. Kobayashi, Ken (January 26, 2011). "McKenna is named to state's high court". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
2. Clark, Kimberly (June 6, 2014), "Giving Back and Paying It Forward", The Hawaii Herald
3. Kobayashi, Ken (January 31, 2011). "Judge secure with sexual orientation". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
4. "Hawaii State Judiciary: Sabrina McKenna". Archived from the original on May 6, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
5. Kobayashi, Ken (February 5, 2011). "Nominee to Supreme Court easily wins Senate panel's OK". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
6. Star-Advertiser Staff (February 16, 2011). "McKenna confirmed to Hawaii Supreme Court". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
7. "Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna". www.courts.state.hi.us. Retrieved November 20, 2020.

Legal offices
Preceded by Mark E. Recktenwald	Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii 2011–present	Incumbent