Judge William Domingo behind a safety barrier he built in a Kāne‘ohe courtroom. Photo: Aaron K. Yoshino
State Deputy Chief Judge Melanie May describes District Court Judge William Domingo as multi-talented: He’s a judge, an attorney, a community advocate, a woodworker, even a singer. So it didn’t surprise her that when the courtroom needed safety measures, he did the work himself.
Domingo constructed protective barriers in 16 courtrooms: 10 in the courthouse on Alakea Street and the rest in ‘Ewa, Wai‘anae, Wahiawā and Kāne‘ohe. He told May: “I know we don’t have money to order Plexiglas barriers. And I know that our own facilities and janitorial team have their hands full with just trying to do the things that everyone needs to do to make the building safe.”