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HONOLULU — Gov. David Ige nominated his high school friend and former campaign manager for a seat on the state Intermediate Court of Appeals.
The governor’s nomination of 59-year-old Keith Hiraoka comes more than a year after Ige nominated him to become a First Circuit judge on Oahu.
A spokeswoman for Ige says the governor drew Hiraoka’s name from a list of six people sent to him by the Judicial Selection Commission.
Hiraoka declined comment Monday. Hiraoka was a managing partner of a Honolulu law firm before he became a judge in April 2017. Hiraoka stepped down as Ige’s campaign manager in January 2017.
The state Senate is expected to meet in a special session later this month to consider Ige’s judicial nominations.