Hawaii Supreme Court | |
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ʻAha Hoʻokolokolo Kiʻekiʻe o Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian) | |
Established | 1841 |
Location | Honolulu, Hawaii , United States |
Composition method | Governor nomination with Senate confirmation |
Authorized by | Haw. Const. art. VI, § 2. |
Appeals to | Supreme Court of the United States |
Judge term length | 10 years |
Number of positions | 5 |
Website | Hawaii Supreme Court |
Chief Justice | |
Currently | Mark E. Recktenwald |
Since | September 14, 2010 |
Lead position ends | October 8, 2025 |
Hawai'i State Judiciary |
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The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. Its decisions are binding on all other courts of the Hawaii State Judiciary. The principal purpose of the Supreme Court is to review the decisions of the trial courts in which appeals have been granted. Appeals are decided by the members of the Supreme Court based on written records and in some cases may grant oral arguments in the main Supreme Court chamber. Like its mainland United States counterparts, the Supreme Court does not take evidence and uses only evidence provided in previous trials.
The Supreme Court of Hawaii meets in Aliʻiōlani Hale in Honolulu.
The case law reported in Hawaiian Reports dates back to January 1847 [1] and the reign of Kamehameha III, long before Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898. (Early Hawaiian cases were originally reported in The Polynesian .)
Kamehemeha III sought to modernize the Hawaiian Kingdom by rapidly transitioning from indigenous traditions to a new legal system based on Anglo-American common law. [2] Hawaii is one of the rare examples of an indigenous polity which voluntarily adopted the common law (albeit as part of the larger objective of avoiding annexation by larger colonial powers), in contrast to the common law's coercive imposition elsewhere by English-speaking colonists.
The Hawaii State Supreme Court has original jurisdiction to answer questions of law that have been passed to it from trial courts or the federal court, hear civil cases submitted to the Supreme Court on agreed statements of facts, and decide questions coming from proceedings of writs of mandamus, prohibition, and habeas corpus. [3]
The Supreme Court consists of five justices [4] [5] who are initially appointed to ten-year terms by the Governor of Hawaii, who makes their nomination from a list of four to six candidates from the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission. [6] The Governor's nominee is subject to confirmation by the Hawaii State Senate. [6] Candidates must be U.S. citizens, Hawaii residents, and have been licensed to practice law for at least 10 years prior to nomination. [6] The Judicial Selection Commission can opt to retain incumbent justices for additional ten-year terms. [6] All justices must retire at 70 years of age. [6]
As of January 13, 2024, the justices are: [7]
Justice | Born | Joined | Term ends | Mandatory retirement | Appointed by | Law school |
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Mark E. Recktenwald , Chief Justice | October 8, 1955 | May 11, 2009 [lower-alpha 1] | September 13, 2030 | October 8, 2025 | Linda Lingle (R) | Chicago |
Sabrina McKenna | October 7, 1957 | March 3, 2011 | March 2, 2031 | October 7, 2027 | Neil Abercrombie (D) | Hawaii |
Todd W. Eddins | 1964or1965(age 59–60) | December 11, 2020 | December 10, 2030 | 2034/2035 | David Ige (D) | Hawaii |
Lisa M. Ginoza | October 20, 1964 | January 12, 2024 | January 11, 2034 | 2034 | Josh Green (D) | Hawaii |
Vladimir Devens | – | January 12, 2024 | January 11, 2034 | – | Josh Green (D) | UC Berkeley |
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The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary is the official name of the judicial system of Hawaiʻi in the United States. Based in Honolulu, the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary is a unified state court system that functions under the Chief Justice of the Hawaiʻi State Supreme Court who is its administrator-in-chief.
Ronald T. Y. Moon was the Chief Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in Honolulu, Hawaii. He served his first term from 1993 to 2003, and his second term from 2003 until retiring in August 2010. Moon studied at Coe College towards bachelor's degrees in psychology and sociology. He went on to the University of Iowa College of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctor. He returned to Honolulu in 1965 and became law clerk to United States District Court Judge Martin Pence. He served under Pence for a year. In 1966, Moon joined the staff of the Prosecuting Attorney of Honolulu where he was deputy prosecutor until 1968. He left public service to become a partner in the law firm Libkuman, Ventura, Moon and Ayabe where he stayed until 1982. It was from the law firm that Governor George Ariyoshi appointed Moon to the Hawaii State Judiciary as a circuit court judge. Governor John Waihee then elevated Moon to the office of Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court in 1990. In 1993, Moon was once again elevated to become chief justice. He retired on August 31, 2010.
Simeon Rivera Acoba Jr. was an Associate Justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Acoba served his first term from May 19, 2000, to May 18, 2010, and was retained by the Judicial Selection Commission to serve a second ten-year term from May 19, 2010, to May 18, 2020. He retired from the court effective February 29, 2014.
Paula Aiko Nakayama is an American lawyer who served as an associate justice of the Hawaii State Supreme Court from 1993 to 2023. After Rhoda V. Lewis, Nakayama is second woman to ever serve on the Hawaii State Supreme Court. She is also the first Asian American woman to serve as a state supreme court justice nationwide. Currently serving her third term, Nakayama served her first term from 1993 to 2003 and her second term from 2003 to 2013.
The Hawaii State Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) is the intermediate appellate court of the Hawaii State Judiciary. It has jurisdiction over appeals from lower courts and agencies.
The United States District Court for the District of Hawaii is the principal trial court of the United States Federal Court System in the state of Hawaii. The court's territorial jurisdiction encompasses the state of Hawaii and the territories of Midway Atoll, Wake Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Palmyra Atoll, Baker Island, Howland Island, and Jarvis Island; it also occasionally handles federal issues that arise in the territory of American Samoa, which has no local federal court or territorial court. It is located at the Prince Kuhio Federal Building in downtown Honolulu, fronting the Aloha Tower and Honolulu Harbor. The court hears both civil and criminal cases as a court of law and equity. A branch of the district court is the United States Bankruptcy Court which also has chambers in the federal building. The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases coming out of the District of Hawaii. The United States Attorney for the District of Hawaii represents the United States in all civil and criminal cases within her district.
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The Oklahoma Court System is the judicial system for the U.S. State of Oklahoma. Based in Oklahoma City, the court system is a unified state court system that functions under the Chief Justice of Oklahoma who is its administrator-in-chief.
The Supreme Court of South Carolina is the highest court in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The court is composed of a chief justice and four associate justices.
The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisions of New Mexico's trial courts of general jurisdiction and certain specialized legislative courts, only having original jurisdiction in a limited number of actions. It currently resides in the New Mexico Supreme Court Building in Santa Fe.
In Hawaii, the LGBT laws have been evolving for the past hundred years. In the pre-19th century, the influence of Polynesian culture led to a more open-minded state. After the first Christian missionaries began arriving in Hawaii, strict sodomy laws were enacted. Territory v. Bell (1958) was the last sodomy case argued in Hawaii. After the turn of the 20th century, LGBT issues began being taken to and decided by the Supreme Court. In 2013, Hawaii voted in favor of gay marriage, and marriage licenses began to be issued to LGBT couples.
The Judiciary of California or the Judicial Branch of California is defined under the California Constitution as holding the judicial power of the state of California which is vested in the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal and the Superior Courts. The judiciary has a hierarchical structure with the California Supreme Court at the top, California Courts of Appeal as the primary appellate courts, and the California Superior Courts as the primary trial courts.
The Nevada Judiciary is the judicial branch of the Government of Nevada, which is responsible for applying the Constitution and law of Nevada. It consists of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, district courts, justice courts, and municipal courts. The Supreme Court oversees the administration of the judiciary.
Joseph Francis McLaughlin was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii in the Territory of Hawaii.
Todd W. Eddins is an American lawyer who has served an associate justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court since 2020. He previously served as a judge of the O'ahu First Circuit Court of Hawaii from 2017 to 2020.
Vladimir Paul Devens is an American lawyer from Hawaii who has served as an associate justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court since 2024.