‘Living treasure’ retires
after long court career

In January 1966, manual typewriters, carbon copies, wet-ink copiers and processing passports were the order of the day for Walter A.Y.H. Chinn, newly appointed chief clerk of the U.S. District Court.

Thirty-nine years later, the youngest-ever clerk of court -- appointed at age 28 -- is now the most senior clerk of court in the federal court system, and he says it is time to move on.

"I thought it was time to go," said the soft-spoken Chinn, who, at 66, is retiring tomorrow.

The 1956 Roosevelt graduate led the federal court system through budget crunches and some of the most drastic technological changes -- at times leading the way for other U.S. District Courts in jury and financial software programs.

Chinn was hired in May 1964 as a courtroom deputy for then-Chief Judge Martin Pence, and was appointed clerk of court just 2 1/2 years later. He has worked with 10 federal judges.

Within the legal community, Chinn is regarded as a "living treasure."

"Walter has been to the U.S. District Court of Hawaii what Dan Inouye has been to the state," said Honolulu District Judge William Cardwell, a close friend for 31 years.

"He's taken the U.S. District Court from a small, basically two-judge court to more than double that size, from liquid copy machines to computers, from the dark ages to the new millennium -- he's done it, and much of what he did was ahead of the national program," Cardwell said.

Chinn has been around longer than any federal judge, "so you can imagine the trust and reliance judges have placed on him because he knows everything and has seen it all," Cardwell said.

Chinn is leaving with little fanfare -- just the way he wants it -- but those who worked under him say they will miss him.

"For many of us here, Walter has been the only boss we've known," said Leimomi Calderon, who joined the courts in 1972 and is currently assigned to the financial section. "We can't express how devoted he is to his staff. He's the first to say his staff supports him, but in reality he's supported every single one of us."

Like a godfather or grandpa, he was always concerned for the well-being of his staff and their families, she said.

Allan Rapoza, Chinn's administrative assistant for about 15 years, said his boss was "old school," always trying to help his employees keep their jobs as long as they could -- what in the old days was known as "protecting the rice bowl."

Chinn oversees a budget of $2.5 million and 31 employees who support the judicial system. Their responsibilities include managing juries, maintaining records and case files, scheduling cases, maintaining and furnishing the courthouse building, holding naturalization ceremonies, assisting the public and coordinating activities with the state bar, the Judiciary and the public.

"He always told us to serve the public well," financial administrator Kathryn Ohira said.

The most significant event to occur during Chinn's tenure was the enactment of the Jury Selection and Service Act of 1968, which opened the U.S. courts and its juries to all Americans, regardless of race, religion, gender or national origin. The act required that voter registration lists be the primary source for jury pool selection.

"This act, more than anything else, changed the way the court did business, and it was all for the positive," Chinn recalled.

When Chinn first started as clerk of court, he and colleagues used a ruler to pore over lists of registered voters and selected jurors every 2 inches.

Today, jury selection in federal court is all automated, as are practically all aspects of the clerk's office, Chinn said.

Just before his appointment, Chinn recalls Pence telling him, "Walter, if you want to keep this job, just keep your shoes clean."

The naive Chinn began polishing his shoes every week and has done so until today, he said, lifting his left leg from behind the service counter to prove it.