Judge Masaji Marumoto, appointed to the Hawaii High Court in 1956, was the first Asian American to sit in the US state or territorial high courts, paving the way for greater representation of Asian Americans within the judiciary. His groundbreaking role demonstrated the importance of diverse voices in shaping fair law and judicial practices.
During this Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, we acknowledge the long road to equality, celebrating the historic contributions of AANHPI individuals across Marumoto’s heritage and the judiciary of the state. Looking back at Marumoto’s career, we remember the way the law was used as a weapon against the community and the great perseverance the community has demonstrated in the wake of these injustices.
Legal foundations for exclusion
Marumoto’s journey to the bench was built on the struggles of a generation facing systemic exclusion built into American law. From the first Federal Naturalization Act of 1790, which restricted citizenship to “free white people,” Asian immigrants were classified as “aliens who are not eligible for citizenship.” Congress strengthened the barriers to China’s exclusion law of 1882, the first federal law that bans entry and naturalization of certain ethnic groups. The scope of the law was long. In 1890, the California High Court called it to deny bar entry to Hong Yen Chan, a graduate of Columbia law. (The same court ultimately admitted him posthumously in 2015.) Through laws passed in 1917 and 1924, immigration restrictions continued to be tightened for Asian individuals.
The judicial decision further entrenched these exclusion laws. For example, the Supreme Court of California in 1854 awarded Peoplev. Hall It is considered as testimony from unacceptable Asians and other people of color against white defendants.
The pioneer of the bench
Born in Honolulu in 1906, Marumoto grew up navigating plantation prejudices and new multi-ethnic Hawaiian promises. After completing his Bachelor of Philosophy degree from the University of Chicago, Marumoto became the first Asian American alumni at Harvard Law School. He then returned home to open up legal practices when many mainland businesses hired only white lawyers.
In May 1940, as tensions between the US and Japan escalated, Marumoto met Robert Seavers, a special agent for the FBI. Recognizing Marumoto’s insight into the Japanese-American community, Shiver sought his help on the eve of Pearl Harbor to understand the dynamics of the community. When the war broke out, Marumoto chaired the Civil Emergency Services Commission and piloted nearly 160,000 residents through curfews, power outage rules and property freezes.
He volunteered to join the combat team of the 442nd Regiment, but Marumoto was unable to serve due to his congenital clubfoot. Instead, he trained Japanese intelligence agents at the Military Intelligence Agency Language School in Minnesota. In May 1945 he was deployed to Okinawa, where he helped establish a government there and served in Korea before leaving the military in 1946. That same year he became the first president of the Military Intelligence Agency Veterans Club in Hawaii. Marumoto later joined the legion of judges’ defending generals and helped train the Japanese language intelligence officer.
Marumoto broke additional ground after World War II. In 1954 he became the first Japanese-American to be elected president of the Hawaii Bar Association, and two years later President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him to the Supreme Court of Hawaii’s Territories, making him the first Asian-American.
Marumoto left the court in 1960 and once again repeated personal practices with his son Wendell. He remained there until 1967, seven years after Hawaii Governor John A. Burns served until 1973, when he appointed him to the bench in 1967. Marumoto and Tsukiyama’s tenures redefine the public’s expectations that justice could be omitted in America.
Beyond his judicial duties, Marumoto was a leading advocate for the Hawaiian nation, playing an important role in organizing the Japanese Association of Honolulu in 1976, serving two terms as president. In recognition of his contributions, he received his Honorary Doctoral Degree from the University of Hawaii Manoa University in 1985.
Marumoto wrote extensively about his experiences in the Army and the lives of Japanese people in Hawaii. He frequently wrote letters to his wife and son. Many of them were later published posthumously by their daughter Claire and UCLA professor Dennis M. Ogawa.
A long road
Recent polls highlight why representatives are important and why stories like Marumoto should be raised as an integral part of the country’s history.
Judicial diversity ensures that in experience, perspective and identity, the bench reflects the community in which it serves. Research consistently demonstrates that judges’ identity and life experiences can influence judicial decision-making. For example, one study found that judges with experience as public defenders generally publish gentle texts. Also, in the case of sex discrimination, female judges are about 15% more likely to support and control claimants as male counterparts, even considering their age and political ideology.
However, judicial diversity does not mean predicting or affecting judicial outcomes or reducing judicial decisions regarding stereotypes about individual identity. It is to strengthen group decision-making, promote public trust, and protect the legal system from systematic and implicit bias.
Unfortunately, misunderstanding and bias persists. The Asian American Foundation’s 2025 Staaus Index reports that 40% of Americans consider Asian Americans to be “more loyal” to their ancestors’ homelands, and that Chinese Americans are a threat to the United States. Underlying this mistrust is the stereotype of “permanent foreigners” or “eternal foreigners,” and Asian Americans are considered outsiders, regardless of how many generations they have lived in the United States.
The exclusion of Asian Americans is strengthened by the country’s legal history. Treatment of Asian Americans as foreign agents, including imprisonment of Japanese Americans after World War II, murder of Vincent Chin for loss of access to work, repulsion against Muslims and South Asian communities after the September 11 terrorist attacks, and showing that they are on fire following the anti-Asian identification following the identification of communities.
Today, more than 50 years after Marumoto resigned, 42 states now have no Asian American justice in the highest courts. The Alliance for Justice Report discovered that 41 states have Not once I was seated in Asian American Justice. Off the bench, Asian Americans and Pacific Islands lawyers are underrated in their leadership roles across legal organizations, law schools, and major law firms. (For example, a 2022 report from the American Bar Foundation and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association found that Asian Americans constitute the largest minority group in major law firms, but also experienced the lowest proportion of partners to associates.
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Marumoto’s rise to the bench stands out as a personal achievement and as a powerful counterargument to the notion that Asian Americans do not belong to the heart of American public life. His career opposes the very narrative that continues to alienate, offering another story that is one of leadership, service and deep civic commitments.
Zoe Merriman is a production coordinator State court report.
Chihiro Aizaki is an advisor to the Brennan Judicial Center’s Democracy Program.
Suggested Quote: Zoe Merriman & Chihiro Isozaki, Celebrating the bench legacy of former Hawaiian justice Masaji Marumoto. sᴛᴛᴛᴇcᴏᴜʀᴛrᴇᴘᴏʀᴛ (May 19, 2025), https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/honoring-former-hawaii-justice-masaji-marumotos-legacy-bench