Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 27, Number 8, 1 August 2010 — CJ'S LEGACY LIVES ON [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

CJ'S LEGACY LIVES ON

By Lisa Asato KaWai Ola n public remembrances July 8 and 9, Hawai'i bid a fond aloha to William "CJ" Richardson, the first Native Hawaiian to serve as Chief Justice of the state Supreme Court, who was remembered as a legal pioneer and as a man who "paid it forward." Delivering a eulogy at the July 9 memorial at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Neil Hannahs of Kamehameha Schools praised Richardson's work ranging from his "landmark ruling that ensured water resources for customary uses" to "his persistence in creating and building" the University of Hawai'i law school that bears his name. As Hawaiian flags across the state flew at half-staff, Hannahs described Richardson as a man who "paid it forward" and who onee said, "the greatest thing a Hawaiian ean do is to assist the entire race to rise to a position of esteem and greatness in the world." Joining Hannahs in honoring the man known affectionately as "CJ," for Chief Justice, were, among others, law school Dean Avi Soifer and retired Chief Judge of the Hawai'i Intermediate Court of Appeals James Burns, the son of Gov. John Burns, under whom Richardson served as lieutenant governor. As a Bishop Estate Trustee, Richardson worked to expand enrollment at Kamehameha Schools to provide young Hawaiians with "educational advantages that would allow them to blossom and lead our community," Hannahs said. "These additional enrollment opportunities were CJ's gift to future generations." Another gift was the law school, whieh Richardson pushed for in order to provide educational opportunity for residents, particularly

Native Hawaiians. The school has produced almost 3,000 graduates since its establishment in 1973. Jocelyn Doane, now a Public Policy Advocate for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, said in an interview that Richardson's appointment to the bench shortly after statehood marked a "turning point" in Hawai'i case law, whieh distinguished itself from the Territorial days by relying upon "traditional custom and usage to determine, among other things, the location of the shoreline, public access to beaches, water as a public trust resource and the bases for traditional and customary rights." The resulting case law guides OHA's advocacy efforts today, she said, including its work to defend Hawaiians' and farmers' right to use water, a public trust resource. "Without those (Richardson) cases and subsequent cases as a eolleetive, we would be fighting an uphill battle," she said. "The precedent is already there." Doane said Richardson's lasting

inAuenee on her is "to remember the disadvantaged," a kuleana heightened after his death on June 21 at the age of 90. "When I think about why he wanted to start the law school - he wanted to help people who wouldn't have an opportunity," she added. "That's definitely one of his legacies for me. Particularly after he died, when I make decisions I'm thinking more about the people who need the most help, who don't have access to information and resources, people like those in rural eommunities and the homeless." After the July 8 public memorial in the school's Moot Courtroom, Doane and a fellow law school graduate saw their opportunity to pay it forward in true Richardson style. Before them sat more than 50 trays of food left over after the day's well-wishers had gone. Without being asked, they loaded the plates onto a truck and delivered them to the needy at the Institute for Human Services. ■

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A portrait of "CJ" Richardson on display July 8 at the Moot Courtroom, where the puhlie paid their respects. - Photo: Courtesy ofSunny Greer