--- title: "Derrick Kahala Watson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/derrick-k-watson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Derrick Kahala Watson U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii · U.S. District Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii - State: Hawaii - Role: U.S. District Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - American lawyer and Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, a position he has held since November 6, 2022 - Judge, District Court, D. Hawaii, 2013-present - Assistant U.S. attorney, District of Hawaii, 2007-2013 - 1998–2006: U.S. Army Reserve captain, Judge Advocate General’s Corps - Assistant U.S. attorney, Northern District of California, 1995-2000 - Associate at Landels, Ripley & Diamond, San Francisco (1991–1995) ### Education - Harvard University — J.D. (1991) - Harvard Law School in — J.D. (1991) - Harvard University — B.A. (1988) - Harvard College ### Additional information - He became Chief Judge in 2022 - Known for his role in challenging the 2017 Trump travel ban in Hawaii. - He was confirmed by the Senate on April 18, 2013 with a unanimous vote of 94–0. - chief, Civil Division, 2009-2013 - President Barack Obama nominated Watson to the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii in November 2012, replacing David Alan Ezra. - Private practice, San Francisco, CA, 2000-2007 - U.S. Army Reserve captain, JAG Corps, 1998-2006 - deputy chief, Civil Division, 1999-2000 - Private practice, San Francisco, CA, 1991-1995 - Born 1966 in Honolulu, Hawaii. - Date of birth: 1966-01-01 - The fourth Native Hawaiian federal judge in U.S. history - He was the first in his family to attend college - As Chief Judge, Watson presides over the District of Hawaii’s federal court, which is located at 300 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI. - Kamehameha Schools - Watson was born in Honolulu to a Honolulu police officer and a local bank worker. - Birth place: Honolulu, HI ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### presentation procedure Scope: judge specific Judge-specific source Evidence excerpt: Any such device is subject to security inspection. Inside a courtroom, no person may use an electronic device for any purpose, except attorneys of record, who are authorized to use an electronic device only in connection with a then ongoing, case-related FILED IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF HAWAII Lucy H. Carrillo, Clerk… [DKW%20General%20and%20Trial%20Procedures%20Order.pdf](https://www.hid.uscourts.gov/cms/assets/63878c50-432a-42e3-902e-d9e9ec97a328/DKW%20General%20and%20Trial%20Procedures%20Order.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394181) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394181) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394181) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3392/derrick-kahala-watson/) - [DKW%20General%20and%20Trial%20Procedures%20Order.pdf](https://www.hid.uscourts.gov/cms/assets/63878c50-432a-42e3-902e-d9e9ec97a328/DKW%20General%20and%20Trial%20Procedures%20Order.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3392/derrick-kahala-watson/) - [Wikidata: Derrick Kahala Watson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5263044) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/derrick-k-watson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/derrick-k-watson", "name": "Derrick Kahala Watson | KnowJudges", "description": "Derrick Kahala Watson, U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.