Native Hawaiian federal judge halts revised travel ban
HONOLULU — The judge who halted President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban is the only Native Hawaiian serving on the federal bench.
U.S. District Judge Derrick Kahala Watson, who was nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2012 and confirmed by the Senate with a 94-0 vote, is the fourth Native Hawaiian federal judge in U.S. history.
“I am confident he will continue to serve our country well, and with Native Hawaiians being underrepresented on the federal bench, his confirmation is a big step in the right direction towards diversifying the court,” U.S. Brian Schatz said in a statement when Watson’s confirmation was announced in 2013.
Watson isn’t fixated on being a Native Hawaiian jurist, said Keith Lee, corporate counsel for the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center.