View source for Judiciary of Hawaii

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Hawaii State Judiciary}}{{Politics of Hawaii}}
The '''Hawai{{okina}}i State Judiciary''' is the official name of the judicial system of  [[Hawaii|Hawai{{okina}}i]] in the [[United States]].  Based in [[Honolulu, Hawaii|Honolulu]], the Hawai{{okina}}i State Judiciary is a unified state court system that functions under the Chief Justice of the [[Hawaii State Supreme Court|Hawai{{okina}}i State Supreme Court]] who is its administrator-in-chief.

==Principal courts==
The Hawai{{okina}}i State judiciary has four levels; two at the trial level and two at the appellate level.  The trial-level courts are the district court, for lesser offenses and minor civil cases, and circuit court, for more serious offenses and major civil cases.  There are two appellate courts, the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the lower appellate court, and the Supreme Court, for appeals from the decision of the Intermediate Court via [[certiorari]], and for certain cases, such as election cases, over which it exercises original jurisdiction.

The specific roles and names of the courts are as follows:

* The '''[[Hawaii State Supreme Court]]''' is the [[state supreme court]]. It is the [[Supreme court|high court]] of the state and makes binding decisions over appeals from the lower courts upon transfer from the Intermediate Court of Appeals and cases eligible to be heard directly by the Hawai{{okina}}i Supreme Court. It is also responsible for court rules, licensing and disciplining attorneys.
* The '''[[Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals]]''' is the state's intermediate [[appellate court]]. It reviews appeals from state trial court or [[administrative agency]] decisions. Its decisions, under certain circumstances, are subject to the Hawai`i Supreme Court's review.
* The primary civil and criminal court in Hawaii is the body known as the '''[[Hawaii state circuit court]]s'''. They rule all jury trial cases and have [[exclusive jurisdiction]] over [[probate]], [[guardianship]] and criminal felony cases as well as civil cases where the [[amount in controversy]] exceeds $25,000.
* The '''[[Hawaii State family court]]s''' deal with [[family law]]. They have exclusive jurisdiction over cases with [[Minor (law)|minors]] involving [[Juvenile delinquency|delinquency]], [[status offense]]s, [[Child abuse|abuse]] and [[Child neglect|neglect]], termination of parental rights, [[adoption]] [[guardianship]]s and detention among others. The Family Courts also oversee cases of domestic relations, include [[divorce]], [[child support]], and [[Child custody|custody]] cases.
* The '''[[Hawaii state district court]]s''' have exclusive jurisdiction over [[Traffic ticket|traffic]] [[infraction]]s, landlord-tenant disputes, civil [[bench trial]]s cases where the amount in controversy is under $10,000, civil cases where claim does not exceed $25,000, criminal offenses punishable by fine or by imprisonment not exceeding one year, county-ordinance cases and petitions for restraining orders. The '''Hawaii State Small Claims Court''' is a division of district court dealing with [[small claims]].
* The '''[[Hawaii Land Court]]''' has exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving [[Title (property)|land titles]] and is a part of circuit court.
* The '''[[Hawaii State Tax Appeal Court]]''' has jurisdiction over cases involving property, excise, liquor, tobacco, income and insurance taxes, and is a part of circuit court.

==External links==
{{Portal|Hawaii}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060625094626/http://www.ncsconline.org/ National Center for State Courts]
* [http://www.courts.state.hi.us/ Hawai{{okina}}i State Judiciary]
* {{citation |url=https://cite.case.law |title= Hawaii |work= Caselaw Access Project |publisher= Harvard Law School |oclc=1078785565 |quote= Court decisions freely available to the public online, in a consistent format, digitized from the collection of the [[Harvard Law Library]] }}

{{Judiciaries of the United States}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hawaii state courts]]
[[Category:State judiciaries in the United States]]