--- title: "Sabrina S. McKenna | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-22" --- # Sabrina S. McKenna Supreme Court of Hawaii · Associate Justice ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Hawaii - State: Hawaii - Role: Associate Justice - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Sabrina Shizue McKenna is an American judge and Associate Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, serving since March 3, 2011, and currently holding the position until March 2, 2031 - Judge, Hawaii Supreme Court, 2011-present - Acting Chief Justice — served from October 1, 2025, to May 5, 2026, succeeding Mark E. Recktenwald - Associate Justice, Hawaii Supreme Court — appointed January 25, 2011 by Governor Neil Abercrombie, confirmed unanimously by the Hawaii Senate - Circuit Court judge (1995), and Senior Judge of the First Circuit Family Court (2009–2011) - held the role of District Court judge (1993) - Civil litigator, corporate counsel, and law professor before becoming a Hawaii state trial court judge in 1993. - Deputy Public Defender, the Office of the Public Defender in Honolulu and as a law clerk to First Circuit Judge Marcia Waldorf - Law professor, Legal academia ### Education - Law degree — William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii — 1982 - William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaiʻi, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review — J.D. (1982) - University of Hawaii at Manoa ### Additional information - Civil litigator, Civil litigation - Corporate counsel, Corporate legal practice ## 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 ### extended coverage notice Scope: statewide Hawaii requires news media to notify a court coordinator before electronic or photographic coverage of a judicial proceeding, including audio recording, film, videotape, or still photography. Evidence excerpt: The news media must notify a court coordinator of their intent to provide any electronic or photographic coverage of a judicial proceeding. [Cameras and Audio Equipment](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/media_guidelines/cameras_and_audio_equipment) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### camera microphone placement Scope: statewide Hawaii leaves courtroom camera and microphone placement to the judge and cautions that judges may differ on placement rules. Evidence excerpt: The judge will decide where cameras and microphones can be placed in the courtroom. Judges differ on this - so please ask. [Cameras and Audio Equipment](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/media_guidelines/cameras_and_audio_equipment) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/justices/justices) - [Official roster](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/justices/justices) - [Hawaii State Judiciary official judicial roster](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/justices/justices) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4120/sabrina-s-mckenna/) - [Cameras and Audio Equipment](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/media_guidelines/cameras_and_audio_equipment) - [Remote Court Hearings via Zoom](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/remote-court-hearings-via-zoom-or-webex) - [Hawaii State Judiciary judicial profile or roster](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/justices/justices) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4120/sabrina-s-mckenna/) - [acting-chief-justice-appoints-district-court-judges](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/news_and_reports/2026/03/acting-chief-justice-appoints-district-court-judges) - [Hawaii Judiciary biography: Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna](https://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/justices/associate_justice_sabrina_s_mckenna) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi", "name": "Sabrina S. McKenna | KnowJudges", "description": "Sabrina S. McKenna, Supreme Court of Hawaii. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-08-22", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi#judge", "name": "Sabrina S. McKenna", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi", "jobTitle": "Associate Justice", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "Supreme Court of Hawaii" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.courts.state.hi.us/courts/supreme/justices/justices", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4120/sabrina-s-mckenna/" ], "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "William S. Richardson School of Law, University of Hawaii" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Hawaii at Manoa" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Hawaii", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/hawaii" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sabrina S. McKenna", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/sabrina-s-mckenna-associate-justice-hawaii-supreme-court-hi" } ] } ] } ```