Senate confirms Laubach as Hawaii Island Family Court judge

KAILUA-KONA — M. Kanani Laubach has unanimously been confirmed by the state Senate to the Family Court position recently vacated by Melvin Fujino’s appointment to Circuit Court.

Laubach was admitted to the state bar in 2003, starting her career as a deputy prosecuting attorney for the City and County of Honolulu, where she worked until 2006.

She worked as a prosecuting attorney on the Big Island from 2006-10, eventually opening her own practice in 2011.

In addition to her legal experience, Laubach has worked with families in both the school and home environments, including teaching parenting skills and child development as a visitation specialist at Parents and Children Together in Waipahu, Oahu.

Laubach is currently vice president of the Hawaii County Bar Association, and has been providing pro bono services at the Hilo Self-Help Center since it opened in 2012. She has also served as a volunteer arbitrator in the Court Annexed Arbitration Program since 2011, among other activities.

“Ms. Laubach’s legal experience in the government and private sectors makes her a well-rounded practitioner with substantial trial experience. Her background in psychology, her extensive courtroom experience, and her many years of interaction with the community through her personal and family experiences will no doubt provide her with the special insight and temperament necessary for the often challenging cases brought in family court,” said Sen. Gilbert Keith-Agaran, chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor. “Her reputation for being a person of integrity who treats everyone equally and fairly and has the ability to relate to and is respectful toward everyone makes her an exceptional appointment to the court system.”

The position carries a term of six years.

Also Friday, the Senate confirmed James S. Kawashima to the District Court of the First Circuit, Oahu.