James Aiona
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A popular drug court judge, James Aiona became the first Republican elected Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii in forty years. |
James R. "Duke" Aiona, Jr. (born
June 8,
1955), is the current
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii. He is of
Chinese,
Portuguese and
Hawaiian descent. Prior to his election to the office in
2002, he was a popular jurist. Aiona was born in
Honolulu,
Hawaii. He attended
Saint Louis School, a local
Roman Catholic academy of the
Diocese of Honolulu. Upon graduating
high school, Aiona left the island to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in
political science, which he received from the
University of the Pacific in
Stockton,
California in
1977. Aiona returned to Hawaii and graduated from the
William S. Richardson School of Law at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa in
1981.
He got his nickname "Duke", named after Dodgers centerfielder
Duke Snider, by his father, James Aiona, Sr.
Aiona began his career as an
attorney in the public sector holding various positions in the
City and County of Honolulu. He was deputy prosecuting attorney for the state of Hawaii under
Charles Marsland. In
1990, Aiona was appointed by
Governor of Hawaii John D. Waihee III to the
Hawaii State Judiciary. He became a judge of the
Hawaii State Family Courts and had exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving legal minors involving delinquency, status offenses, abuse and neglect, termination of parental rights, adoption, guardianships and detention among others. Aioona also oversaw cases of domestic relations involving divorce, child support and custody matters.
He was known for having upset defense attorneys for the way he talked to the juvenile defendants. He believed he was supplying them with discipline. "Our young people want someone to discipline them and tell them what's right and what's wrong," he said. "They really search for that and they really appreciate that."
In
1993, Aiona was appointed to the First Circuit Court in Honolulu. The
Hawaii State Circuit Courts are the primary civil and criminal courts in Hawaii. Aiona became famous for his tough rulings for drug offenses. Aiona retired in
1998 to work in the private sector.
Aiona first entered politics in
2002. He admits not joing the
Republican Party until just before the primary campaign started. His cousin,
Sam Aiona, had served as a Republican member of the state legislature. He ran in the
Republican Party of Hawaii contest for the nomination to join the gubernatorial ticket led by former
Mayor of Maui Linda Lingle. Aiona won and advanced to the general election in November of that year. In December, Aiona was sworn in at an emotional inauguration ceremony at the
Hawaii State Capitol rotunda to become the state's lieutenant governor.
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James Aiona and Linda Lingle celebrate a headline heralding their electoral win. |
In 2005, Aiona's personal driver was caught on camera in breaking a new state law right after Aiona had made a public presentation about that same very law. Local
ABC affiliate
KITV reporter
Keoki Kerr reported that after a press conference about a state law that made it illegal to drive a vehicle through a crosswalk with a pedestrian in the crosswalk, the camera caught Aiona's personal driver almost nearly hitting a pedestrian in the crosswalk. [
1]
In 1977, while attending law school, he met
Vivian Welsh at a dance in Waikiki. They married in 1982. They have two sons, Kulia and Makana; and two daughters, Ohulani and Kaimilani. In 1998, he retired from his position as a state circuit judge, stating that the $87,000 annual salary was not enough to support his family. As of 2005, the annual salary he receives as lieutenant governor is $90,041. [
2]
He was known as having an temper, but, according to his wife, he has since mellowed with age. [
3] He was questioned about his temper at his confirmation hearing for the state circuit court bench. Judiciary committee member State Senator
Matt Matsunaga asked if Aiona recalled getting kicked out of a lawyer's league basketball game in the late 1980s. Matsunaga was satisfied with the explanation that it was a misunderstanding and voted in favor of the appointment. [
4]
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Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii
