The State Judiciary announced today that the Hawaii Supreme Court will hold a special session on Sept. 25 honoring Patricia Mau-Shimizu, perhaps best known for her nearly three decades of service as chief clerk of the state House of Representatives.
Mau-Shimizu served until her death as executive director of the Hawaii State Bar Association, which she joined in December 2011.
“Pat was truly one-of-a-kind,” Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald said. “She was a widely-respected leader who used her vast knowledge of state government and countless friendships to bring people together for the common good.”
The HSBA, in a statement earlier this month, said, “Pat was a tough and clearheaded strategist able to see several steps ahead. And she was no stranger to hard work. About her work at the Legislature, she told a Honolulu Star-Advertiser reporter that her office would stay until 3 a.m. to meet midnight deadlines.”
The HSBA said she “built strong working relationships with the speakers she worked under, including Henry Peters, Richard Kawakami, Danny Kihano, Joe Souki and Calvin Say.”
Her knowledge of the legislative process proved invaluable to the HSBA’s members when she joined the organization and served under 12 presidents.
Mau-Shimizu organized and supported HSBA judicial evaluations and created the Hawaii State Bar Foundation, which supports Legal Aid and other legal support programs. She advocated for the HSBA Leadership Institute Program, which produces leaders currently serving in various leadership roles.
In 2009, she received a kidney transplant at the Hawaii Medical Center East in Liliha.
“Under threat of closing, she advocated for preserving transplant services and testified before the Legislature to support funding a replacement transplant center on Oahu,” the HSBA said.
Mau-Shimizu earned her law degree from Golden Gate University School of Law, and was an active member since 1979.
“Her work ethic, guidance, and smile will be sorely missed, but her legacy will endure,” HSBA’s president, president-elect and vice president wrote.
Recktenwald said: “She was a trusted mentor and friend to many people across the state, all of whom benefited from the wisdom that came with her years of experience at the state capitol and at HSBA.
“I deeply valued her friendship and her wise, common-sense advice. She will be greatly missed, and on behalf of the judiciary, our thoughts and aloha go out to her daughter Melissa, her brother Marvin, and her parents.”
The special session will be open to the public with first-come seating in the courtroom and overflow viewing in room 101 on the first floor of Aliiolani Hale.
It will also be live-streamed on the Judiciary’s YouTube channel at YouTube.com/hawaiicourts.
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