Yoshimi Hayashi (, November 2, 1922 – April 23, 2006) was a justice of the

Supreme Court of Hawaii The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions ...

from March 30, 1982 to March 31, 1992. He was the first person to serve at all four levels of state courts and the first Japanese-American

U.S. attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

Early life

Born in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Hayashi was raised by various family members after his mother died when he was four, and his father was away working as a carpenter. Hayashi graduated from

President William McKinley High School President William McKinley High School, more commonly referred to as McKinley High School, is a comprehensive public high school in the Honolulu District of the Hawaii State Department of Education. It serves grades nine through twelve. McKinl ...

in 1941, and after enrolling at the

University of Hawaiʻi The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...

, left to serve in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He returned to civilian life in Hawaii in 1946, where he was nearly killed in

Hilo, Hawaii Hilo () is the largest settlement in and the county seat of Hawaii County, Hawaiʻi, United States, which encompasses the Island of Hawaiʻi, and is a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 census. I ...

, in the tsunami following the

1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake The 1946 Aleutian Islands earthquake occurred near the Aleutian Islands, Alaska on April 1, 1946. The shock measured () 8.6, 9.3 or () 7.4. It had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (''Strong''). It resulted in 165–173 casualties and over US$ ...

Career

Hayashi received a Bachelor's degree from University of Hawaii, followed by a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

in 1958. In 1961, he became an assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaii, and was the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...

for that district from 1967 to 1970. Hayashi was appointed as a judge to consecutively higher state courts from 1970 to 1982, when Governor

George Ariyoshi George Ryoichi Ariyoshi (, born March 12, 1926) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the third governor of Hawaii from 1974 to 1986. A Democrat, he is Hawaii's longest-serving governor and the first American of Asian descent to ...

appointed Hayashi to a seat on the state supreme court, where Hayashi remained until his retirement in 1992.

Death

Hayashi died on April 23, 2006.

References

1922 births 2006 deaths Lawyers from Honolulu University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni George Washington University Law School alumni United States attorneys for the District of Hawaii Justices of the Supreme Court of Hawaii {{Hawaii-state-judge-stub