Earlier this spring, attorneys, judges, educators and community leaders headed to SALT in Our Kaka‘ako for a luncheon honoring Kamaile Turcan (née Nichols). The 1998 Kamehameha Schools alumna was recently selected by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor to be a law clerk in her esteemed office.
Turcan’s latest achievement marks the first time that a person of Native Hawaiian ancestry will serve as a law clerk to a U.S. Supreme Court Justice. The appointment is also a first for a UH law school graduate to attain the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. During her one-year term in the country’s highest federal court, Turcan will have the opportunity to assist the Justice in legal research, writing and preparation for hearings.
“There are so many people that I admire and that helped me along my path that I cannot even begin to name them all. I will always be so thankful. From my friends and family, to my ‘ohana at Kamehameha Schools and at UH’s Richardson School of Law, to my mentors at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. District Court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals – I wouldn’t be here without them,” Turcan said.
According to Turcan, the education she received at Kamehameha Schools laid the foundation for her to pursue the field of science, and later, law. She recalled playing around with the science equipment in her lab classes, an activity that inspired her to earn her biology degree at the University of California at Berkeley.
“Every teacher I had at KS instilled in me a dedication to learning and to asking questions, which was instrumental to setting my path in the sciences. But the greatest influence was my love of the outdoors and the ʻāina itself. Growing up in Hawai‘i, with the ocean and the mountains right outside my door, from the very beginning I was focused first and foremost on environmental issues.”
Turcan initially did not set out to study law, as she thought she would always stay in the sciences. “I saw that some of the very creatures I loved to study were vanishing before my eyes; I can’t study them if they’re not there anymore!”
This prompted her interest to veer towards law and policy and be part of the efforts to protect the ‘āina. One of her goals is to continue being a good steward of the environment, both through her career and commitment to community through organizations like Kākoʻo ʻŌiwi – a group that works to restore ecological productivity and cultural connections with the ʻāina.
During the luncheon, Kamehameha Schools CEO, Jack Wong stated that the school “exists for moments like this, for stories like Kamaile’s.” Avi Soifer, Dean of the William S. Richardson School of Law, referred to Turcan as a wayfinder. “Understanding oceans, Kamaile is never out of her depth.”
The luncheon honoring Turcan was a collaboration of the Kamehameha Schools Legal Group, the Native Hawaiian Bar Association and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s William S. Richardson School of Law.
Every teacher I had at KS instilled in me a dedication to learning and to asking questions, which was instrumental to setting my path in the sciences. But the greatest influence was my love of the outdoors and the ʻāina itself. Growing up in Hawai‘i, with the ocean and the mountains right outside my door, from the very beginning I was focused first and foremost on environmental issues.
Kamaile Turcan, Law Clerk, Office of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Avi Soifer, dean of the UH-Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law, expressed his admiration for Turcan’s accomplishments during her time as a law student.
KS Trustee, Lance Wilhelm gifted the 1998 KS graduate with a pāpale (hat) – a reminder of the pride she instills in the KS ʻohana.
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