John S.W. Lim, who rose from a district judge to an appeals judge on the state's second-highest court, died yesterday at the age of 55.

Chief Justice Ronald Moon notified court employees about the death "with deep sadness," the Judiciary said in a statement yesterday.

"We are devastated by the loss of such a young, intelligent, hard-working and dedicated jurist," said Moon, who appointed Lim to the District Court bench in 1993. "We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Evva, and their two sons, Ethan and Evan. He will be sorely missed."

The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.

Lim, a graduate of Farrington High School, Harvard College and Stanford Law School, was the financing and general counsel for the Hawai'i Economic Development Corp.; an associate attorney with the law firm of Carlsmith, Wichman, Case, Mukai & Ichiki; and executive director and president of Hawai'i Lawyers Care, now known as Volunteer Legal Services of Hawai'i, according to the Judiciary.

He became a judge with his appointment to the District Court bench in 1993. Two years later, then-Gov. Ben Cayetano appointed him to the Circuit Court, where he presided over civil and criminal cases. In 1999, Cayetano named Lim to a 10-year term on the state appeals court, second only to the Hawai'i Supreme Court.

Lim was one of six judges on the appeals court.

To fill the vacancy, the state Judicial Selection Commission will submit four to six names to Gov. Linda Lingle, who must appoint the replacement from the commission's list.

Reach Ken Kobayashi at kkobayashi@honoluluadvertiser.com.