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One of Hawaii’s new Supreme Court justices until earlier this year served as a director for a powerful political action committee that helped elect Josh Green governor.

Vladimir Devens, who on Tuesday was unanimously confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate to fill one of two vacancies on the Hawaii Supreme Court, was a director of Be Change Now from April 2019 until April 2023, according to with the state.

Devens is listed along with another director, Kyle Chock, and Joshua Magno, the chair, secretary, treasurer and a director of Be Change Now.

The public information does not appear to have been shared with the Senate Judiciary Committee, which on Monday unanimously voted to send Devens’ nomination to the full Senate for consideration.

Asked whether the committee was aware of Devens connection to the super PAC, Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads said Wednesday afternoon that he did not know and could not recall. He followed up with an email explaining that he took another look at Devens’ application with the Judicial Selection Commission.

“I reviewed the JSC application and the additional questions we ask as part of the confirmation process,” he wrote. “No question required disclosure of prior political activity. There are restrictions on political activity after you are on the bench, but none before.”

Devens did not respond to a message left with his law office Wednesday seeking comment for this story.

Other Judiciary Committee members including Sens. Mike Gabbard, Brandon Elefante and Joy San Buenaventura also did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday.

Green’s office was asked if the governor was aware of Deven’s involvement with Be Change Now and whether the Senate was informed of his nominee’s history with the group.

UPDATED: The governor’s office sent this emailed response around 10 p.m. Wednesday: “Vlad Devens has been one of Hawaii’s most respected attorneys for decades, and has made his past experiences and affiliations completely transparent (as reflected in his filings with DCCA which are being highlighted for this story). Devens is an active member of the community and it was well known to everyone that some of his work is with Hawaii’s unions, on behalf of working people. It was great to see his name as a nominee from the Judicial Selection Committee, and he was a widely celebrated choice by his colleagues before his unanimous confirmation this week.”

Labor Backing

Lee Tokuhara, communications director for Be Change Now, said via email late Wednesday, “Mr. Devens served on the Be Change Now board from May 2018 and resigned in 2022, and his role was legal in nature.”

However, paperwork filed with the state in April still lists Devens as a director.

Be Change Now grew out of a pro-rail super PAC created by the Pacific Resource Partnership in 2012. It is run by the Hawaii Carpenters Market Recovery Program Fund, which is funded mainly by contractors who do business with the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters. The labor union represents some 7,000 workers.

Reflecting its strong political connections, Andy Winer, a political adviser on Green’s gubernatorial campaign, previously had PRP as a political client. Brooke Wilson, who was a registered lobbyist for the Hawaii Regional Council of Carpenters, has been Green’s chief of staff since he was elected lieutenant governor.

Be Change Now has spent generously in local elections, including $578,300 on Green’s successful bid for governor last year and more than $1 million for the lieutenant governor primary in 2018. Green nominated Devens to the high court late last month.

Devens’ nomination to the Hawaii Supreme Court by major local unions including the Hawaii Government Employees Association, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers.

Devens does not list his time with Be Change Now on the resume that the Green administration submitted to the Senate, although he includes mention of dozens of other organizations with which he has been involved.

They include the SHOPO Contract Negotiation Workshop, the Hawaii Hotel Association of Security Directors, and the United Public Workers Business Agents Training Workshop-Grievances, Worker’s Compensation. The list is so comprehensive that it mentions Devens’ work in boxing and coaching with at-risk youth from 1995 to the present, and when he served as a police officer with the Honolulu Police Department from 1989-1995.

Devens also does not list his Be Change Now directorship in his Judicial Selection Commission application, though he did disclose that he is with the Hawaii State Bar Association’s board of directors, CrimeStoppers Honolulu board of directors and the board of his own law office. The application specifically asks, “Do you serve as an officer, director, manager, advisor, or employer of any business?”

Devens’ application is dated Nov. 23, 2022, just weeks after Green’s landslide win and about a month after the JSC said it was accepting applications to fill the soon-to-be-vacated seats of Associate Justices Paula Nakayama and Mike Wilson.

‘Bold Leadership’

In its business registration with the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Be Change Now states that its purpose is “To support high performing political candidates who are committed to bold leadership in Hawaii.”

As of June 30, the most recent filing available, Be Change Now reported having $4.8 million in cash on hand.

In addition to spending generously on behalf of Green, Be Change Now spent more than $2 million backing Ikaika Anderson’s unsuccessful bid to be lieutenant governor last year. Be Change Now paid for a barrage of negative advertising against Sylvia Luke, who ultimately won the primary and now serves as Green’s second in command.

Be Change Now also paid for television advertisements to help elect Rick Blangiardi mayor of Honolulu in 2020.

The carpenters union first made big headlines as a political player during the 2012 election cycle, when former Gov. Ben Cayetano was campaigning for the Honolulu mayor’s seat.

The union’s then-super PAC, Pacific Resource Partnership PAC, spent more than $3 million to help Kirk Caldwell defeat Cayetano, whose campaign focused on stopping the Honolulu rail project that was strongly supported by the union.

The PRP PAC’s name was briefly changed to All Hawaii Stand Together. In 2018, the PAC was renamed Be Change Now. Devens name appears as a director in June of the following year and until April 1 of this year.