An additional bit of perspective on the late Chief Justice William Richardson is in order.
As I recall, the judiciary created its own political arm under the direction of Tom “Fat Boy” Okuda during Richardson’s term as Chief Justice, and apparently with Richardson’s approval or perhaps at his direction.
Okuda later complained he was a scapegoat and that responsibility for the political activities of the courts really rested on the chief justice’s shoulders. Of course, then Chief Justice Herman Lum had inherited the system his predecessor, Richardson.
As I recall, many of Fat Boy’s friends in the legislature agreed with his complaints about his treatment by the judiciary, and punished the courts for years by trimming budgets and withholding salary increases for judges.
Remember that my Common Cause newspaper clippings from 1985, including the “Fat Boy” scandal, are available online.
A reader added an additional note.
I remember Common Cause/Hawaii back in the day complaining that the Hawaii Supreme Court should no longer appoint Bishop Estate trustees, due to the inherent conflict of interest with one of Hawaii’s largest landowners and developers.
A 100-year-old private will should not dictate nor impose upon the duties of modern justices was the argument.
Richardson dismissed the complaints, and went on to get himself appointed as a Bishop Estate trustee by his fellow justices in 1982. The justices continued to appoint trustees for another 15 years.
Had he shown some independence and autonomy back then, perhaps in the 1990s the meltdown and scandals that occured with the trustees and the estate they mismanaged would have never happened.
Although in fairness, Herman Lum was even more dismissive of the conflict.
In other Judiciary news, the Hawaii Supreme Court and Intermediate Court of Appeals plan to implement their new system of electronic filing of documents in late August.
Training for attorneys in how to use the new system is just getting underway.
According to an email sent to attorneys this week by the chief clerk of the Hawaii Supreme Court:
We are currently testing the efiling and case management software. If
the tests show the software performs as expected, we will start
electronic filing on August 23, 2010.
The transition to electronic filing will be followed by online access to full-text documents, hopefully similar to the federal courts’ PACER system, which will be a big boost to public access. An earlier attempt to scan legal documents and make them available failed
we need an updated ‘Land and Power’.
Many thanks, Ian, for the collection of clips. Going down memory lane, it’s nice to come across old news that illuminate the present.
And thanx, also, for your gracious timing.
I think CJ deserved the accolades he got last week and waiting ’til after the services was appropriate in reminding us that what glitters is not entirely gold, so to say.
The rush to gush over Frank Fasi when he died, especially by people who not so secretly despised him during life, was just nauseating.
Once the emotion that immediately attends the death has abated, it is entirely appropriate, nay, necessary, to put things in perspective. Doing so does not dishonor the decedent, it reminds us of their humanity.
I find that it does get really nauseating too – so I will put in my 2-cents, Richardson was in a private business venture with other old -time Hawaii businessmen in the Hana District – Keola Hana Maui, Inc. Old man Kato, dubbed – The Emperor of the Financial Underground in Tokyo was a business partner… with strong ties to Yakusa. In fact – he was beaten up by a rival gang. I always wondered why Richardson would have sullied his name through such associations.