William S. Richardson, formally William Shaw Richardson (born 22 December, 1919) is the former Chief Justice of the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice from 1966 to 1982[1]. Prior to his service as the top jurist in Hawaiʻi, Richardson was lieutenant governor under John A. Burns. Before that, he was chairman of the Hawaiʻi Democratic Party from 1956 to 1962.
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Early years
Richardson claims Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and Caucasian ancestry[2]. He has referred to himself as "just a local boy from Hawaiʻi." He is a graduate of Roosevelt High School, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and University of Cincinnati law school. Richardson served in World War II with the 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment.[1]
Controversies
William S. Richardson's tenure as chief justice irritated many although others proclaimed him a hero for native and local rights. He despised commercial overdevelopment, especially at the coastlines and beaches. Richardson's court expanded Native Hawaiian rights. He allowed the public to have rights to Hawaiʻi's beaches. He ruled that land created by lava floes belonged to the state, not to nearby property owners. Richardson is most famous for declaring, "The western concept of exclusivity is not universally applicable in Hawaiʻi." His most controversial decision came about in consideration of a case between two sugar plantations fighting over a water source. Richardson reached back into the judicial history of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi and declared that the water belonged to neither of them but to the state.
Legacy
Before his retirement from the bar, Richardson was memorialized with the naming of the state's only law school in his honor. The William S. Richardson School of Law was his crowning achievement, as he fought for its establishment for decades. Richardson is still involved with the development of the law school.
Resources
- Hawaiʻi State Judiciary. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
- William S. Richardson Law Library. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
- ^ a b About William S. Richardson. University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
- ^ MacKenzie, Melody Kapilialoha. Director's Column: Honoring Chief Justice William S. Richardson. Ka Heʻe. Retrieved on 2007-05-13.
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