Levinson to retire from state’s high court

HONOLULU (AP) - State Supreme Court Associate Justice Steven Levinson announced Wednesday that he plans to retire Dec. 31, three years before the end of his second 10-year term.

Levinson's announcement came as a surprise to many who assumed the 62-year-old jurist would serve out his second term, but he said it was time to step down.

''In a nutshell, my batteries need recharging,'' said Levinson, who has served 17 year on the Supreme Court after sitting three years on the Circuit Court.

Following retirement, Levinson said he has no immediate plans other than ''to relax, catch up on pleasure reading and maybe do some traveling.''

The decision to retire by one of the most liberal justices on the high court sets up a scenario for Republican Gov. Linda Lingle's appointees to eventually occupy three of the five seats on the high court.

Lingle has already appointed Associate Justice James Duffy, and will appoint Levinson's successor. She will also name a replacement for Chief Justice Ronald Moon, who faces mandatory retirement when he turns 70 in September 2010.

The governor selects nominees to the Supreme Court from a list of candidates from the Judicial Selection Commission. Her selections must be approved by the state Senate.

''I'm not particularly concerned because I'm confident that my replacement will be highly qualified,'' Levinson said.

Moon called Levinson's retirement a ''great loss to . . . the people of Hawaii.''

''I, along with his colleagues and fellow employees, will truly miss him,'' Moon said.

Levinson is best known for his 1993 landmark legal opinion that cleared the way to make Hawaii the first state to recognize same-sex marriages.

''I don't think I'm prouder of anything I've ever done. It changed the history of the world,'' Levinson said.

The opinion was short-lived, because island voters passed a state constitutional amendment in 1998 nullifying the decision.

Associate Justice Simeon Acoba's term ends in May 2010, before Lingle leaves office, but it will be up to the Judicial Selection Commission to decide whether he will get another 10-year term. Associate Justice Paula Nakayama's term ends in 2013, when Lingle will be out of office because of term limits.