Honolulu, Hawaiʻi – Next week, the Hawaiʻi State Senate will convene a special session to review the judicial appointments of Rebecca A. Copeland, Brian A. Costa, Dyan M. Medeiros, and Steven R. Nichols to the Circuit Court of the First Circuit (island of Oʻahu).
The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Senator Karl Rhoads (Senate District 13, Dowsett Highlands, Puʻunui, Nuʻunau, Pacific Heights, Pauoa, Punchbowl, Pālama, Liliha, Iwilei, Chinatown, and Downtown), will hold a public hearing on the appointees on Monday, June 24, 2024, starting at 10:30 a.m.
The Senate will convene in floor session on Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. This will be followed by a separate decision-making meeting of the Judiciary Committee at 11:45 a.m. Final Senate votes on the appointments are expected on Thursday, June 27, 2024, during the floor session that is expected to start at 11:00 a.m.
Rebecca A. Copeland has served as a District Family Court Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit since 2020. Between 2016-2020, she served as a Per Diem District Court Judge. Copeland has experience in operating the Law Office of Rebecca A. Copeland, LLC, working for Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, and as Adjunct Professor for the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, St. Mary’s University School of Law (in San Antonio), and Texas A&M University-San Antonio. Additionally, Copeland has served as Deputy Solicitor General, Appellate Division, for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General. Copeland received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Southwest Texas State University and a Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Brian A. Costa has served as a District Family Court Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit since 2017 and currently is the Lead Judge of the Juvenile Division and Presiding Judge of Juvenile Drug Court. Between 2015-2017, he served as a Per Diem District Court Judge. Costa’s professional experience includes being an attorney, member, and manager of the law firm Costa & DeLacy, LLLC, serving as a Honolulu Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, and working as an associate for Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel. Costa additionally was a law clerk for Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Associate Justice Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. Costa received an Associate’s Degree in Applied Sciences in Business Administration from Erie Community College in Buffalo, NY, a Bachelor of Science in Management from Hawaiʻi Pacific University, and a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.
Dyan M. Medeiros has served as a District Family Court Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit since 2015 and currently is the Lead Judge of the Domestic Division and Presiding Judge of Girls Court. Prior to serving as a Judge, Medeiros was a partner with Kleintop, Luria & Medeiros, an associate attorney with Stirling & Kleintop, and an associate attorney with Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert. Medeiros received a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and received a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
Steven R. Nichols currently serves as a Per Diem Judge for the Family Court of the First Circuit and operates the Law Office of Steven R. Nichols. Nichols previously served as Deputy Public Defender for twenty years and was a law clerk for First Circuit Judge Dexter Del Rosario. Nichols received a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a Juris Doctorate from the William S. Richardson School of Law.
The hearing notice can be viewed here and includes instructions on how to submit testimony. The public hearing and floor sessions will be broadcast on the Senate YouTube page. More information about the special session is available at the 2024 Senate Special Session webpage on the Legislature's website, www.capitol.hawaii.gov.