The Hawaiʻi Senate on Thursday confirmed Gov. Josh Green’s nomination of Vladimir Devens to be chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court.

The vote was 20-5.

But several senators expressed strong opposition to Devens because he did not disclose his membership on the board of directors of a super PAC actively involved in local politics when he applied to be an associate justice in 2022 and chief justice this year.

Be Change Now is operated by Pacific Resource Partnership, a consortium made up of the 6,000-member Hawaiʻi carpenters union and more than 250 contractors statewide who employ them.

The lack of disclosure troubled Sen. Joy San Buenaventura, one of the five no votes. In her floor remarks on the nomination, she said the character of a person is determined best when no one is watching.

“He knew what he went into when he became a member, a director of one of three in Be Change Now,” she said. “He knew the character of the organization he chose to be a member of. He wasn’t hired, he wasn’t of counsel, he wasn’t an attorney. He chose. He was a decision-maker, one of three, smaller than even our small committee hearings.”

At a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing last week, San Buenaventura and other senators said they were concerned that the nominee had been closely associated with PRP, an organization well known for negative political attacks. Devens said then his work for Be Change Now was limited.

But San Buenaventura said on Thursday that a chief justice “is the judge above all the other justices. He determines ethics of not only other judges, but also attorneys. He becomes like the governor of the third branch of government.”

Sen. Lorraine Inouye agreed with San Buenaventura, saying that it was “very bothering to me as well” that Devens would be “king of the courts.”

Sens. Carol Fukunaga, Michelle Kidani and Karl Rhoads also opposed the nomination. Six other senators voted yes but “with reservations,” which still counts as a yes vote.

Sen. Mike Gabbard spoke in strong support of Devens, noting that he has over 30 years of legal experience including serving as an associate justice since January 2024.

“Importantly, Justice Devens is not new to this court,” Gabbard said on the Senate floor. “He’s already been tested on the bench and has demonstrated sound judgment, intellectual rigor and a deep understanding of the law. His record reflects careful, principled decision making and an unwavering respect for the rule of law.”

Sen. Stanley Chang also spoke in support of Devens, saying he was impressed that the justice chose to become a Honolulu police officer after completing law school.

“Nothing against ivory towers, having spent a lot of time in them myself, but this is someone who’s walked the beat and understands what life is really like on the streets,” Chang said.

Gov. Josh Green watched the confirmation vote from the Senate gallery, along with Associate Justice Sabrina McKenna, who has been acting chief justice since October, and dozens of members of the Hawaiʻi legal and political community.

Devens’ appointment is for 10 years, but because he was born in 1962 he will have to retire before age 70, the mandatory retirement age for Hawaiʻi judges and justices. A proposed constitutional amendment bill pending at the Legislature this session would ask voters to raise the age to 75.

Acting Chief Justice McKenna issued a statement later Thursday promising a smooth transition to her successor, who will have an informal swearing-in Tuesday and a formal investiture ceremony in the near future.