Supreme Court of Hawaii

The Supreme Court of Hawaii is the highest court of the State of Hawaii in the United States. It makes important decisions that all other courts in Hawaii must follow. The main job of the Supreme Court is to look at decisions made by lower courts when people ask for a review. These reviews are based on written information from the lower courts, and sometimes the Supreme Court lets people talk about their cases in person in a special room.

The Supreme Court of Hawaii holds its meetings in a building called Aliʻiōlani Hale in the city of Honolulu. Like other top courts in the United States, it does not look at new evidence but only uses what was already shared in earlier trials.

History

The laws of Hawaii have been written down since January 1847, during the time of King Kamehameha III. This was long before Hawaii was annexed by the United States in 1898. At that time, Kamehameha III wanted to update the Hawaiian Kingdom's laws. He changed them from traditional Hawaiian ways to a new system based on Anglo-American common law.

Hawaii is special because it chose to adopt this new legal system on its own, unlike other places where the law was forced upon people by colonial rulers. This helped Hawaii avoid being taken over by larger countries. Early Hawaiian cases were first shared in a newspaper called The Polynesian.

Functions

The Hawaii State Supreme Court has the main job of reviewing important legal questions from lower courts. It can also look at certain civil cases and decide on special requests called writs, such as mandamus, prohibition, and habeas corpus. Its decisions guide all other courts in Hawaii.

Justices

Main article: List of justices of the Supreme Court of Hawaii

The Supreme Court of Hawaii has five justices. They are first chosen for ten-year terms by the Governor of Hawaii from a list of candidates. The Governor picks from four to six names suggested by a special group called the Hawaii Judicial Selection Commission. Before someone can become a justice, they need to be confirmed by the Hawaii State Senate. To be a candidate, a person must be a U.S. citizen, live in Hawaii, and have been a lawyer for at least ten years. Justices can sometimes be kept for more than one term. All justices must leave the court when they turn 70 years old.

As of May 1, 2026, the justices are:

Vacancy and pending nomination

Cases

The Supreme Court of Hawaii has important cases it has reviewed, such as Sunoco v. Honolulu in 2023 and Hawaii v. Wilson in 2024. These cases help shape the laws and decisions in Hawaii.