Sonja M.P. McCullen

Professional career

• Associate Judge of the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, appointed on October 1, 2021, by Governor David Ige and confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate
• Sworn in as an associate judge of Hawaii’s Intermediate Court of Appeals on October 1, 2021

Education

Additional information

• She taught social studies, Hawaiian studies, and Hawaiian language at Waiʻanae High School from 1994 to 1999, and also created curricula in Hawaiian culture.
• Of Native Hawaiian ancestry
• Before appointment she spent a combined eleven years as deputy prosecuting attorney in Honolulu’s Appellate Division.
• After earning her law degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law she clerked for Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Paula A. Nakayama.
• Particularly influenced by the Ulu Lehua Scholars Program, which supports non-traditional law students
• Other roles included investigator for the Crime Victim Compensation Commission, staff attorney for United Public Workers and judicial education specialist for the Hawaii Judiciary.
• McCullen credits her UH Richardson Law School experience and her teaching career with instilling values of community, collaboration, and the role of law in reflecting societal principles.
• Joseph’s High School in Hilo and taught at Waianae High School after earning her undergraduate degree and professional diploma at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.