Hawaii Supreme Court Associate Justice Sabrina McKenna will begin serving as acting chief justice Oct. 1, following the retirement of Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald at the end of September, the state Judiciary announced today.

“On behalf of all judiciary employees, the bar, and the entire State of Hawaii, I express our deepest appreciation to Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald for his Aloha Spirit-imbued leadership over the past 15 years, as well as his commitment to Access to Justice and the Rule of Law,” McKenna said in a news release.

Recktenwald leaves the Supreme Court due to the state’s mandatory retirement age of 70 for justices and judges.

McKenna is the longest-serving active jurist in the Judiciary, having also served in the district, circuit and family courts in the Oahu Circuit,

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