State v. Sakamoto

Opinion by

LEVINSON, J.,

with whom Circuit Judge NAKAMURA joins, announcing the judgment of the Court.

In this original proceeding, the petitioner State of Hawai'i (the prosecution) petitions this court to issue a writ directing the respondent Judge Karl K. Sakamoto (the respondent judge), Judge of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit, to vacate his order granting the defendant-respondent Shawn Reilly’s motion for deferred acceptance of no contest (DANC) plea in State v. Reilly, Cr. No. 01-1-0062. The prosecution contends that the respondent judge exceeded his lawful authority and contravened…