HONOLULU — An analysis of online judicial data has found that women hold nearly 40 percent of the judge positions in Hawaii state courts, a slight improvement from 14 years ago.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports the lower number of female judges is a concern in a state where women make up half of the state’s adult population.
Today, women make up 39 percent of the 80 bench seats, compared with 36 percent in 2004.
An analysis of online judicial data by the Advertiser found that men applied at a rate 2 ½ times higher than women from 2016 through 2016. Since then, the rate has increased to nearly 3 ½ times.
The disparity has persisted despite more female students graduating from the University of Hawaii’s law school than men over the years.