Two state judges who handle some of the largest civil cases in Hawaii are retiring at the end of the year.

Circuit Judge Eden Elizabeth Hifo and Probate Judge Colleen Hirai will step down Dec. 31, according to a vacancy notice posted by the state Judiciary. (See:)

Hifo, formerly known as Bambi Weil, oversaw the late 1990s trial over the removal of former Kamehameha Schools trustee Lokelani Lindsey, which was the first of many high-profile events that led to reforms at the multi-billion dollar estate and the removal of its $1 million-a-year, politically appointed trustees.

Hifo, 63, also was the judge in  the decade-long class action suit by 2,700 native Hawaiians who have waited decades for state homestead lands. Hifo ruled last month that the state breached its trust by not placing Native Hawaiians on lands set aside for them by the federal government in a prompt and efficient manner.

Hirai, 58, was the judge in the state's successful lawsuit to remove former Kamehameha Schools trustees Lindsey, Henry Peters, Gerard Jervis, Richard "Dickie" Wong and Oswald Stender.

As state probate judge, she also oversaw the orderly termination of Hawaii's largest land trusts such as the Estate of James Campbell and the Estate of Samuel Mills Damon.

Tags: Circuit Judge Colleen Hirai, Circuit Judge Eden Elizabeth Hifo, Estate of James Campbell, Estate of Samuel Mills Damon, Kamehameha Schools, Native Hawaiian

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