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Court records available
on Judiciary Web site

Star-Bulletin staff

The public now can access Circuit Court criminal, civil and adult Family Court records through the Internet.

By logging onto the state Judiciary's World Wide Web site -- http://www.state.hi.us/jud/ -- anyone can access Circuit Court files seven days a week, 24 hours a day by using their personal computer at home, at work, or from terminals at their neighborhood library.

The service, called "Ho'ohiki 'Aha Ho'okolokolo," or "Come to Court" saves the public time and money, and frees court employees up to work on other important matters, said Mike Broderick, administrative director of the courts.

Before, the public could only access Circuit Court case files by using computer terminals at the Circuit Court legal documents branches on each island.

Users can research cases by name or case number and get useful information such as party names, case types, listings of court hearings or filings, minutes of hearings, case dispositions and settlement conference report minutes.

The files, which go as far back as 1984, are updated within 48 hours of the date of a filing or a hearing.

Users, however, still must go to the legal documents section to peruse the entire contents of the documents filed. And the service is limited to 35 users at a time. The Judiciary will consider expanding the service if the usage demands it.

Also addresses, telephone numbers and Social Security numbers have been deleted for privacy and security reasons, Broderick said.

Honolulu attorney Ronald Grant said the service is extremely valuable to attorneys who do much of their work before and after the normal business hours of the courts.

Ho'ohiki cost the state Judiciary $62,000. District Court cases use a different database and are not available through Ho'ohiki.