Michael D. Wilson (born April 1953) is an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the

Hawaii Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions of ...

from 2014 to 2023. Prior to being appointed to the Hawaii Supreme Court, Wilson served as a circuit court judge for the Hawaii First Circuit from 2000 to 2014.

Education

Wilson received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

from

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

in 1975 and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Antioch School of Law Antioch School of Law was a law school in Washington, D.C. which specialized in public advocacy. The school now operates as the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC-DCSL). The school was located on 16th Street ...

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

in 1979. He was raised in

Kailua Kailua () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Honolulu County, Hawaii, United States. It lies in the North Koolaupoko, Hawaii, Koolaupoko District of the island of Oahu, Oahu on the windward and leeward, windward coast at Kailua Bay. It is i ...

and graduated from

Kailua High School Kailua High School is a four-year public high school located in the Kailua CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States on the island of O‘ahu. The school serves students grades 9 through 12. As of the 2000 U.S. Census the U.S. Ce ...

Career

Early in his career, he was a partner in the law firms of Pavey Wilson & Glickstein and Hart Wolff & Wilson where he practiced civil and criminal trial and appellate law. He previously served as the director of the

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) is a part of the Government of Hawaii, Hawaii state government dedicated to managing, administering, and exercising control over public lands, water resources and streams, ocean waters, co ...

, chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, chair of the State Water Commission and a trustee of the Kahoolawe Island Reserve Commission.

Judicial service

Wilson was appointed as a judge of the Hawaii First Circuit on May 10, 2000. On February 18, 2014, Governor

Neil Abercrombie Neil Abercrombie (born June 26, 1938) is an American politician who served as the seventh governor of Hawaii from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Buffalo, New York, Abercrombie is a graduate of Union College and the ...

appointed Wilson to serve as a justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court to fill the vacancy left by the mandatory retirement of Simeon R. Acoba. He was Abercrombie's third appointment to the supreme court. On March 17, 2014, his nomination was approved by the

Hawaii Senate The Hawaii Senate is the upper house of the Hawaii State Legislature. It consists of twenty-five members elected from an equal number of constituent districts across the islands and is led by the President of the Senate, elected from the membe ...

by a 23–1 vote. He was sworn into office on April 17, 2014. He retired from the court on March 31, 2023.

References

External links

Honolulu Star-Advertiser: Name in the News: Michael D. Wilson
1953 births Living people David A. Clarke School of Law alumni Hawaii state court judges Justices of the Hawaii Supreme Court University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni 21st-century American judges {{Hawaii-state-judge-stub