Hawaii Court Records
How Hawaii's courts are organized, where their records are kept and how to search them.
Hawaii has a single, state-run judiciary with no county or municipal courts. Its four judicial circuits follow the counties and islands: the First Circuit on Oahu, the Second on Maui, Molokai and Lanai, the Third on Hawaii Island and the Fifth on Kauai and Niihau.
Because everything runs through one system, the Judiciary's free eCourt Kokua portal covers trial and appellate cases statewide.
How Hawaii's courts are organized
The Hawaii State Judiciary has two appellate courts and three kinds of trial courts, plus specialized courts for land title, tax appeals and environmental cases.
Supreme Court of Hawaii
Five justices review Intermediate Court of Appeals decisions, hear some cases transferred directly to them, and regulate the practice of law.
Intermediate Court of Appeals
Hears appeals from the trial courts and some state agencies.
Circuit courts
The general jurisdiction trial courts. They hear felonies, civil cases over the district court limit, probate, guardianship and jury trials. The Land Court and Tax Appeal Court are part of the First Circuit.
District courts
Hear misdemeanors, traffic, small claims, landlord-tenant cases and smaller civil suits. Environmental court sessions handle environmental violations.
Family courts
Hear divorce, custody, child support, adoption, juvenile, domestic abuse and guardianship of children. Most family court records are confidential.
Searching Hawaii court records online
eCourt Kokua is the main public search for Hawaii court records.
- eCourt KokuaThe Judiciary's free case search, covering criminal, civil, traffic and appellate cases. Some documents can be viewed or purchased online.
- Hawaii State JudiciaryOpinions, court locations, forms and rules.
Getting records from the clerk's office
For copies of case files, contact the legal documents branch or clerk of the court in the circuit where the case was heard. Copies and certified copies are available for a per-page fee. Older closed files may be in storage and take longer to retrieve.
Deeds and other recorded land documents are kept by the state Bureau of Conveyances, not the courts, except for Land Court registered property, which is recorded through the Land Court system.
- Request court recordsHow to request copies of Hawaii court records.
What is public, and what is not
Most Hawaii court records are open, but family court, juvenile, adoption, mental health and many guardianship records are confidential. Court rules require filers to redact personal information such as Social Security and bank account numbers.
Hawaii allows expungement of arrest records when no conviction resulted, and some first-time drug possession convictions can be expunged after a deferred plea. Expungement orders are handled by the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center.
- Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center: ExpungementHow to apply for an expungement order in Hawaii.
Older and archived records
Hawaii's historical court records reach back to the Kingdom of Hawaii. Many early court files, including probate records, are held by the Hawaii State Archives, while more recent closed files are kept by the Judiciary under its retention schedule.
- Hawaii State ArchivesHistorical government and court records from the Kingdom, Territory and State.
Criminal history and background records
A court file tells you what happened in one case in one court. A criminal history record (often called a rap sheet) pulls together arrests, charges and outcomes reported from across the state, so it is a different product kept by a different agency.
The Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center, part of the Department of the Attorney General, keeps statewide criminal history records. Conviction information is public and can be searched online.
- eCrim: Hawaii criminal conviction searchPublic, name-based search of Hawaii adult criminal conviction records, with fees for printed reports.
- Hawaii sex offender registryPublic search of covered sex offenders.
- VINELinkCheck the custody status of people held by Hawaii's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Federal court records in Hawaii
Federal cases, including federal crimes, bankruptcies, and lawsuits over federal law or between citizens of different states, are not filed in Hawaii's state courts. Hawaii is a single federal judicial district, and each has its own clerk's office:
Federal case files are searched through PACER, the federal judiciary's records system. PACER charges a small fee per page, but you pay nothing if your charges stay under the quarterly fee-waiver threshold, court opinions are free, and every federal courthouse has public terminals you can use at no cost. Many PACER documents have also been copied into the free RECAP Archive on CourtListener. Appeals from Hawaii's federal courts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Tips for a faster search
- Hawaii case numbers begin with the circuit number and a case type code, such as 1CPC for a First Circuit felony case.
- Search by name in eCourt Kokua first; then narrow by circuit and case type.
- Family court cases will not show up for the public. If you are a party, ask the family court clerk directly.
- Have the full names of the parties, the county and a rough date range ready. A case number is the fastest way in if you have one.
- Online indexes are not the official record. If a decision depends on it, get a copy (or a certified copy) from the clerk's office that holds the file.
Legal help and law libraries
Clerks and law librarians can explain how to find a record, but they cannot give legal advice. These organizations can point you in the right direction:
- Hawaii State Law LibraryPublic law library in Aliiolani Hale, with research help for the public.
- Access to Justice Rooms and Self-Help CentersFree help for people without a lawyer at courthouses statewide.
- Legal Aid Society of HawaiiFree civil legal help for eligible residents.
This guide is general information about public records, not legal advice. Court websites, fees and rules change, so confirm details with the court before you rely on them. Civics-Online.org is not affiliated with any court or government agency.