SB 267: RELATING TO DISTRICT COURT JUDGES.

A BILL FOR AN ACT

Relating to District Court Judges.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

     SECTION 1.  Section 604-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

     "[[](b)[]]  There shall be appointed one or more district judges for each judicial circuit.  The district court of the first circuit shall consist of fourteen judges, who shall be styled as first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth judge, respectively.  One of the district judges shall hear landlord-tenant and small claims matters, provided that when in the discretion of the chief justice of the supreme court the urgency or volume of cases so requires, the chief justice may authorize the judge to substitute for or act in addition to or otherwise in place of any other district judge of the district court of the first circuit.  The district court of the second circuit shall consist of three judges, who shall be styled as first, second, and third judge, respectively.  The district court of the third circuit shall consist of [three] four judges, who shall be styled as first, second, [and] third, and fourth judge, respectively.  The district court of the fifth circuit shall consist of two judges who shall be styled as first and second judge, respectively.  The chief justice may designate a judge in each circuit as the administrative judge for the circuit."

     SECTION 2.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Report Title:

Judiciary Package; District Court Judges; Third Circuit

Description:

Establishes 1 additional district court judgeship in the Third Circuit.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 66

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 267

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Judiciary, to which was referred S.B. No. 267 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO DISTRICT COURT JUDGES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to establish one additional district court judgeship in the Third Circuit.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Judiciary, Office of the Public Defender, one member of the Kauaʻi County Council, Hawaii State Bar Association, Collection Law Section of the Hawaii State Bar Association, and Hawaii Financial Services Association.

     Your Committee finds that when the first district court judge was sworn in in Kona nearly forty years ago, the population served by the court was just over twenty-three thousand residents.  Since then, the population has nearly tripled to over sixty-two thousand residents.  Judicial resources in the Third Circuit have not kept pace with this explosive growth.  Despite the increase in population and corresponding increase in case filings, the Kona district court continues to rely on a single judge.  To accommodate the extraordinary volume of cases, the Kona district court has been forced to schedule nearly every available minute of court time, with traffic court calendars routinely exceeding seventy individual defendants in a single morning.  This relentless pace also compromises the judge's ability to address other critical judicial duties, such as reviewing search warrants, making judicial determinations of probable cause, and processing applications for temporary restraining orders.  This measure will reduce individual caseloads while also allowing the Kona district court to operate more efficiently, dispose of cases more promptly, and provide litigants and victims with more timely and equitable justice.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Judiciary that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 267 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Judiciary,