Governor Says He May Veto Bill To Reduce Judges’ Pensions
The governor updated his list of potential vetoes, announcing he may reject as many as 20 of the 320 measures passed by state lawmakers this spring.
Gov. Josh Green has made a last-minute change to his list of possible veto targets, announcing Tuesday he may reject a measure that would reduce pension benefits for future Hawaiʻi judges.
Green on June 6 released a list of 19 measures he was considering vetoing, but amended that list by adding Senate Bill 935 as another measure he might reject.
The deadline for the governor to announce which bills he may veto was Tuesday, and Green has until July 9 to actually issue the final vetoes.
SB 935 drew sharp criticism from some prominent players in the Hawaiʻi legal community, including Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Justice Mark Recktenwald and former state Attorney General Margery Bronster.
Critics said the bill could make it more difficult to recruit candidates for state judgeships at a time when the number of applications for judgeships has been declining. One reason for that may be that highly skilled lawyers can make far more money in private practice than they can earn as judges.
The state Salary Commission this year recommended raises of about 40% for 95 state judges over the next six years, in part to try to address that issue. But the vote by lawmakers this spring to reduce future judges’ pensions undercut that effort, Recktenwald said.
He worried that the bill raised a concern that perhaps “what judges are doing isn’t valued, or perhaps there’s something going on that we need to be concerned about in terms of our independence as an institution.”
According to a statement issued by Green’s staff Tuesday, SB 935 “is one of the more complex pieces of legislation to emerge from the 2025 session. By including this bill on the list, it allows the Governor to have the time to make an informed and well-researched decision.”
SB 935 is one of 20 measures Green is considering for vetoes. The statement noted lawmakers passed 320 bills this year, and the vast majority of those measures will become law.
“Our team has completed a review of every measure and the overwhelming majority of legislation will become law,” Green said in the statement. “Each bill on today’s list is based on thorough legal and fiscal analysis, and as always, was guided by what will best serve the people of Hawai’i, protect our resources and strengthen our future.”
