This public program was held at the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court on Thursday, January 29, 2026 in honor of Civil Liberties & the Constitution Day, presented in partnership by the King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center and Hawaii State Bar Association Civic Education Committee, and co-sponsored by Hawaiʻi Women Lawyers in celebration of their 50th anniversary. Panelists discussed the legal community’s kuleana to interpret and uphold law for the people of Hawaiʻi in a rapidly changing landscape.

PANELISTS:

• SABRINA S. MCKENNA (Acting Chief Justice, Supreme Court, State of Hawaiʻi)
• KALIKOʻONĀLANI D. FERNANDES (Solicitor General, Department of the Attorney General, State of Hawaiʻi)
• LINDA ICHIYAMA (Vice Speaker, House of Representatives, State of Hawaiʻi)

MODERATOR:

• TROY J.H. ANDRADE (Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, William S. Richardson School of Law)

Civil Liberties and the Constitution Day in Hawaiʻi

On June 7, 2013, Governor Neil Abercrombie signed Act 94, establishing January 30th as Civil Liberties and the Constitution Day in Hawai’i. The bill was passed by the 2013 Hawai’i State Legislature without dissenting votes, and specifically references the internment and incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during World War II. January 30th coincides with the birthday of civil rights icon, Fred Korematsu, who challenged the constitutionality of the Federal Government permitting over 120,000 Japanese Americans to be imprisoned. The day is meant to celebrate, honor, and encourage public education and awareness of the commitment of individuals to preserving civil rights and liberties for all citizens.