Derrick Watson

Derrick Watson
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
Assumed office
November 6, 2022
Preceded byJohn Michael Seabright
Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii
Assumed office
April 23, 2013
Appointed byBarack Obama
Preceded byDavid Alan Ezra
Personal details
Born
Derrick Kahala Watson

(1966-09-09) September 9, 1966 (age 58)
Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
EducationHarvard University (AB, JD)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Army Reserve
Years of service1998–2006
RankCaptain
UnitJudge Advocate General's Corps

Derrick Kahala Watson (born September 9, 1966) is an American lawyer who serves as the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii.

A native of Hawaii, he graduated from Harvard University and Harvard Law School before entering private practice in San Francisco. He served as a federal prosecutor for some years in California and then Hawaii, rising to become chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Hawaii. He was appointed to the federal bench in 2013 by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate in 2013. Watson is the fourth Native Hawaiian federal judge in U.S. history, and the only one currently serving.

Watson acted against the Trump travel ban in 2017.