Kamehameha the Great's statue guards the entrance
to Ali'iolani Hale, the State Judiciary Building
The Judiciary
The Judiciary of the State of Hawai`i is a totally integrated state courts system. At present, it functions under one administrative head, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; is funded by one source, the State Legislature; and administers its own personnel system. Court rules, procedures and forms are consistent throughout all jurisdictions, and a central administrative office, headed by a director appointed by the Chief Justice with the approval of the Supreme Court, assists in supervising operations statewide.
The judicial system is divided into 4 circuits. The island of Oahu makes up the First Circuit. The Second Circuit includes Maui, Molokai, and Lanai. The island of Hawaii comprises the Third Circuit. The Fifth Circuit covers Kauai and Niihau.
The islands other than Oahu are commonly referred to as the "Neighbor Islands". Shuttle plane service between the islands is routine, with inexpensive flights generally departing every half hour and lasting less than a half hour. As a result, many litigation firms in Hawaii, particularly those with home offices on Oahu, have a statewide practice.
District Courts and Circuit Courts
Each circuit has two levels of courts, one lower being the District Court and the higher being the Circuit Court. District Courts hear civil cases involving disputes of $10,000 or less and share responsibility with Circuit Courts for civil cases involving disputes between $10,000 and $20,000.
Circuit Courts hear civil cases involving more than $20,000.
Court Annexed Arbitration Program
Within the Circuit Courts in each circuit, a Court Annexed Arbitration Program (CAAP) diverts tort cases having a projected value of $150,000 or less into an arbitration system utilizing a single court appointed lawyer. CAAP has its own set of rules of procedure and is subject to de novo trial on appeal to the Circuit Court. Penalties, including limited attorney fees and broader cost reimbursement for the prevailing party, may be imposed upon the party who does not improve its position by 30% on appeal.
Appellate courts
In addition to the District and Circuit Courts in each of the 4 circuits, the State of Hawaii has two levels of statewide appellate courts, the lower being the Intermediate Court of Appeals and the higher being the Hawaii Supreme Court. Both courts are located in Honolulu.
The Hawaii Supreme Court is the state's highest court of appeal. The Hawai Intermediate Court of Appeals assists the Supreme Court by handling the appealed cases assigned to it by the Supreme Court. Together, these courts decide all appeals from the state, district, and circuit courts.
The Supreme Court is comprised of one chief justice and three associate judges. All appeals decided by the Intermediate Bourt of Appeals are decided by an assigned panel of three of the four judges.
