President Trump Nominates Former CWAG Attorney General as Circuit Judge

If confirmed, Mark J. Bennett of Hawaii will serve as a Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Bennett served as Attorney General from 2003 to 2010, and was twice unanimously confirmed to that position by the Hawaii Senate. During his tenure as Attorney General, he successfully argued two cases in the Supreme Court of the United States, was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, and earned both the Department of Justice National Leadership Award and the Hawaii Law Enforcement Elwood J. McGuire Award for Contributions to Law Enforcement.

Bennett’s appointment won high praise from U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, which may bode well for his chances for confirmation in the U.S. Senate.

“Attorney General Bennett has extensive experience practicing law in the public and private sectors in Hawaii and at the federal level,” Hirono said in a written statement. “Mark is a well-qualified nominee to serve on the Ninth Circuit.”

Schatz added that “Mark Bennett has a long and distinguished career as a lawyer and public servant in Hawaii that makes him well-qualified to serve as a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. “With more than two decades of public service, Mark has a reputation as a highly competent, principled attorney – something I saw first-hand when he served as Attorney General. I am confident that he will be a fair, dispassionate jurist who will carefully follow the rule of law while reflecting Hawaii’s values,” Schatz said.