Honolulu Deputy Prosecutor Rom Trader has been nominated by Gov. Linda Lingle to be an Oahu Circuit Court judge.

Trader is Lingle's 11th Circuit Court appointee and, if approved by the state Senate, would be the fourth with a prosecutorial background.

Lingle has been criticized by some for selecting prosecutors for judicial appointments.

“;I've already expressed to her in the past that I felt probably she should get a better mix of attorneys from different backgrounds,”; said Senate Judiciary Chairman Brian Taniguchi (D, Moiliili-Manoa). “;I'm sure she probably considered it, but it probably wasn't a factor.”;

Lingle has said in the past that she picked judges who have prosecutorial backgrounds as a way to balance what she described as a judicial system that did not put enough emphasis on the rights of victims.

Taniguchi, whose committee will vet the nominee and then make a recommendation to the full Senate, said he will try to keep an open mind.

“;I just felt that to a large extent, you don't want all the courts being filled with just prosecutors—that kind of tips the court in a certain way,”; he said. “;In this case we'll have to take a look at whatever qualifications he has and whether he has the proper judicial temperament.”;

Trader has 20 years of experience as a prosecutor, including numerous high-profile criminal cases, Lingle noted.

He also has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii's William S. Richardson School of Law. He earned his bachelor's and law degrees from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

“;Rom Trader's extensive experience as a prosecutor handling some of Hawaii's most serious criminal cases has given him a thorough understanding of courtroom procedure and the judicial process,”; Lingle said in a news release.

Lingle selected Trader from a list of six candidates submitted to her Dec. 3 by the Judicial Selection Commission.

Trader would succeed Judge Reynaldo Graulty, whose term expires in March.