Jill Otake to Serve on U.S. District Court

On Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, Sen. Brian Schatz released the following statement on the Senate confirmation of Jill Otake to be a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawai‘i. Otake was confirmed unanimously.

“Ms. Otake’s record shows that she has an impressive legal mind and a steadfast commitment to justice, so it’s no surprise that the Senate has confirmed her to serve as a district judge. This is how the process is supposed to work. Bipartisan consultation on well-qualified candidates leads to unanimous confirmation. As one of her former supervisors put it, our country will be getting the best with Ms. Otake. For this reason, I was proud to support her nomination to the federal bench. She will serve the federal court and our state with integrity.”

Ms. Otake was among those recommended by Senator Schatz and a merit-based Federal Judicial Selection Commission in 2015.

Sen. Brian Schatz and Judge Jill Otake. Courtesy photo

Sen. Mazie Hirono said:

“Throughout her confirmation process, Jill Otake demonstrated her respect for the rule of law and the serious thought she’s given to how she would approach her work as a judge. She is exactly the type of nominee this president, or any president, should be nominating for every district court vacancy.”

Jill Otake currently serves as an Assistant United States Attorney and as the Acting Chief of the Special Crimes Section in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawai‘i, having previously served as Deputy Chief. Prior to joining the office three years ago, she spent nine years as an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Supervisor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. During this period, she served as an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Seattle University School of Law.

Before becoming an Assistant United States Attorney, Ms. Otake spent six years as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in King County, Washington. Ms. Otake was born and raised in Hawai‘i. She is a graduate of Iolani School and served as a law clerk to Associate Justice Simeon R. Acoba, Jr. of the Supreme Court of Hawai‘i.  Ms. Otake earned her B.S., cum laude from Georgetown University and her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law, where she was inducted into the Order of the Barristers.