Clare E. Connors sworn in as US Attorney

Clare E. Connors took the oath of office to become the United States Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi, Monday.

Connors was nominated by President Joseph Biden on Sept. 28, 2021 and confirmed by the US Senate on Dec. 7. She took the oath of office from Chief United States District Judge J. Michael Seabright.

“I am grateful to return to this office with the opportunity to lead its efforts in serving the Hawaiʻi community,” said Connors. “We will continue to protect the interests of the United States and all the people and organizations we represent.”

As US Attorney, Connors is the top-ranking federal law enforcement official in the District of Hawaiʻi, which consists largely of the State of Hawaiʻi but also includes some areas in the Pacific outside Hawaiʻi. She oversees a staff of approximately 60 employees, including 28 attorneys and, presently, 29 non-attorney support personnel.

The office is responsible for prosecuting federal crimes in the district, including crimes related to national security, drug trafficking, public corruption, child exploitation, firearms, and violent crime. The office also initiates affirmative civil actions, defends the United States in civil cases and collects debts owed to the United States.

Connors was raised in Honolulu and graduated from Punahou School.

Until this appointment, she had been serving as the Attorney General of the State of Hawaiʻi since Jan. 3, 2019. She previously was an Assistant US Attorney in the District of Hawaiʻi from 2004 to 2011, and a Trial Attorney in the Tax Division of the Department of Justice from 2003 to 2004. After leaving the US Attorney’s Office, she was an attorney at the Honolulu law firm of Davis Levin Livingston from 2011 to 2019.

Connors received her J.D. in 2002 from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in 1996 from Yale College. She is a member of the Hawaiʻi State Bar Association.