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Kokua Line
June Watanabe
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Judiciary Web site gives information on court cases
Question: Is there a Web site you can go to or a phone number to call if you want information regarding a court date and place for pending cases? I am very, very interested in attending any court hearings involving the recent capture of the copper thief.
Answer: You can get information about court hearings at the Hawaii Judiciary's Web site: www.courts.state.hi.us.
There, you can tap into Ho'ohiki, which is the online database for all Circuit and Family Court cases, statewide.
It also contains case information on all District Court civil cases filed since 2001 or 2003, depending on the Circuit, as well as all non-juvenile traffic cases from 1995, said Judiciary spokeswoman Marsha Kitagawa. The latter includes hearing dates, times and locations.
"The online traffic case information program called CourtConnect went live in November 2005 after the Judiciary converted to a new case management system," Kitagawa said.
Both CourtConnect and Ho'ohiki can be found on the Web site by clicking on "Search Court Records."
Kitagawa said it is possible to search for cases in either database by using a party's or defendant's last name. You can narrow search results by including a first name or by using a case number (a citation number, in the case of CourtConnect).
The Judiciary is unable to segregate pending theft cases by the type of items or materials allegedly stolen, such as copper.
However, regarding James Bronson Taylor Jr., who was charged with copper theft: Kitagawa's staff researched his status and found that his case was transferred to the First Circuit Court for trial after the District Court found probable cause at a June 26 preliminary hearing.
"Unfortunately, until the District Court's antiquated criminal case management system is replaced with new technology, misdemeanor case information cannot be accessed online," she said.
Taylor's arraignment and plea hearing was held Thursday.
An online case was created and minutes of the hearing were to be posted within 48 hours of the hearing. A jury trial was scheduled for Sept. 9 in Circuit Court.
For those without access to computers:
» Appellate cases: Call the state Supreme Court Clerk's office, 539-4919, for the date and time of an oral argument scheduled with either the Supreme Court or Intermediate Court of Appeals. Provide a case name and number to expedite the search.
» Circuit Court and Family Court cases: Call the Legal Documents Branch at 539-4300 or the Chief Court Administrator's office at 539-4333 to get the dates of scheduled court hearings for Circuit Court civil and criminal cases, and Family Court cases that are open to the public. The information also is accessible through special computer terminals in the Circuit Court Legal Documents Branch at 777 Punchbowl St.
» District Court Criminal and Traffic cases: For Honolulu District Court cases, call 538-5100 for hearings in criminal cases or 538-5500 for traffic cases. Or, go to the Judicial Services Criminal Division, 1111 Alakea St., 3rd floor. Provide as much identifying information as possible (e.g., full legal name, Social Security number, or report or citation number) to make the search easier, although searches can be done with only a name.
For information on Wahiawa/Waialua criminal and traffic cases, call 621-5097 or go to Wahiawa District Court, 1034 Kilani Ave.
For Ewa and Waianae cases, call the Ewa courthouse at 454-5488 or Waianae courthouse at 668-1509. Or go the Ewa courthouse in Pearl City, 870 Fourth St., for Ewa cases, or the Waianae courthouse in Nanakuli, 87-1784 Farrington Highway, for Waianae cases.
For cases scheduled at Kaneohe District Court, call 534-6300 or go to the courthouse, 45-939 Pookela St.
» District Court civil cases: Call 538-5151 or go to the Honolulu Courthouse, 1111 Alakea St., 3rd floor. Anyone may search for civil cases via computer terminals located on the third floor. Enter the case number or the name of any party to the case to retrieve information on court rulings, case status, scheduled court dates, etc.
(Parties to a case who have been served with a summons should call the Sheriff's Office at 538-5606 for information on hearing dates/times, because the court may not have received the state of service, which determines the court date, Kitagawa said.)
Cases that are kept confidential by law or court order include juvenile, adoption, custody and child-abuse hearings. Information on these cases are not accessible by the public.
Got a question or complaint? Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered. E-mail to
kokualine@starbulletin.com.
See also: Useful phone numbers