Honolulu County Superior Court Case Search

Honolulu County’s First Circuit Court has the same authority as the superior courts in other US states. The court creates and maintains records of filings, case proceedings, and judicial issues that occurred in the courthouse. Furthermore, it discloses the records through different options to interested public members. 

The public may conduct searches or request circuit court records for these reasons:

• To find a person’s legal history;
• To obtain information about court events
• To determine if the court follows standard procedures. 

The court or designated record custodians may choose to grant or deny requests for court records. In the case of a denial, the requested record may contain information whose disclosure is not in the public interest.

What kinds of cases have been heard in Honolulu Superior Court?

In Honolulu County, the Oahu First Circuit Court oversees most cases filed in the county. It has general jurisdiction over the following case types and cases:

• Civil cases: general civil unlimited, complex commercial, civil equity, restraining order, state administrative appeals, and real estate title and boundary cases.
• Criminal cases: felony and juvenile criminal cases.
• Family law cases (juvenile and domestic relations): divorce, child custody, paternity, child support, adoption, juvenile deliquency, termination of parental rights, child abuse, and neglect, domestic violence protection order.
• Probate cases: wills and estates, guardianships, conservatorships, and trusts
• Mental health cases: involuntary commitments and other mental health cases.

Note: The First Circuit Court does not have divisions or specialized departments; there is only a courthouse where all the case types are heard.

Honolulu County Superior Court

Honolulu County’s Oahu First Circuit Court is the county's highest trial court. It has general jurisdiction over most criminal felonies and civil court cases in which the disputed amount exceeds $40,000. The court mostly shares jurisdiction with the family and district courts over family law cases like divorce and child custody.

Local residents may file cases with the First Circuit Court to document life events like divorce and to resolve disputes in civil and probate cases. The courts are also important for handling severe criminal offenses like felonies and some misdemeanors. That being said, the Honolulu First Circuit Court is located at:

Oahu First Circuit Court
Ka'ahumanu Hale
777 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 539-4767

Honolulu County Case Lookup

Interested parties can look up court records in Honolulu County through options provided by designated record custodians. For instance, the Hawaii State Judiciary maintains an online database for accessing court records. That being said, you can access court records through these options:

Online searches for court records

The Hawaii State Judiciary, via the eCourt Kōkua, maintains online access to records of cases filed in Honolulu County. To view case records on the platform, inquirers must input relevant search information like the case party name, number, and filing date.

Online court record searches are free of charge for inquirers who are also case parties in the requested document. However, third-party inquirers must pay $3 for court documents that contain less than 30 pages. If the document exceeds 30 pages, inquirers must pay $0.1 per additional page.

Note: The eCourt Kōkua search platform does not contain all court case records. For example, it does not include restricted or sealed court documents. 

Walk-in requests for court records in Honolulu County

In Honolulu, courthouses allow in-person inquiries for court records in their custody. To request court records, inquirers must first determine the courthouse that handled the case. Next, they must make an appointment or visit the courthouse without one at their physical locations. 

The courts may install public self-service terminals where inquirers can view court records. For example, the KaÊ»ahumanu Hale Circuit Court has a terminal installed at the court premises. In courthouses without these terminals, inquirers must make their request at the front desk. Note that the courts have different hours for attending to court record requests. 

Aliiolani Hale
Supreme Court Law Library
417 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Note: the court attends to in-person requests between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m. Make an appointment by calling (808) 539-4964.

Aliiolani Hale
Supreme Court Clerk’s Office
417 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Note: Allows in-person requests between 7:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.

Ewa District Court
870 4th Street
Pearl City, HI 96782
Note: Allows in-person requests from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call (808) 534-6900 to make an appointment.

Family Court
Kapolei Judiciary Complex
4675 Kapolei Parkway
Kapolei, HI 96707-3272
Note: Make an appointment by calling (808) 954-8310

Ka'ahumanu Hale
Circuit Court
777 Punchbowl Street
Honolulu, HI 96813-5093
Note: Make an appointment for an in-person request by calling (808) 539-4303. 

Kauikeaouli Hale
Honolulu District Court
Legal Documents Branch 2
Third Floor
1111 Alakea Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
Note: The court attends to in-person requests from 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (808) 538-5629 before visiting the courthouse if the requested document is not available online.

Kaneohe District Court
45-939 Pookela Street
Kaneohe, HI 96744
Note: The court attends to in-person requests from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If the requested document is not available online, call the courthouse at (808) 538-5629.

Wahiawa District Court
1034 Kilani Avenue
Wahiawa, HI 96786
Note: The court attends to in-person requests from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If the document is not available online, call (808) 534-6200 before showing up at the courthouse.

Waianae District Court
Kapolei Judiciary Complex
Legal Documents—Records Room
First Floor
4675 Kapolei Parkway
Kapolei, HI 96707-3272
Note: Call (808) 954-8310 to make an appointment.

Honolulu Superior Court Case Search by Name

Name-based inquiries involve using a person's or entity's name to search documents. The Hawaii eCourt Kokua search platform allows name-based searches for case records that occurred in the First Circuit Court. To use this option on the platform, inquirers must select the “Case Party” option in the top bar and input the case party’s name. In contrast, users can name-search court records by visiting the courthouse that handled the case.

Name-based searches are often inaccurate since they may bring up information about other case parties with similar names. To avoid such situations, you must include additional details about the requested documents. These details may include the case number or filing date.

Honolulu Superior Court Docket Search

Court dockets contain a list of events and information concerning a court case. The record, also referred to as a court calendar, may include information on filed motions, orders, case parties, attorneys, presiding judges, judgments, orders, and hearing dates.

To find court docket information in Honolulu, inquirers must conduct searches via the Hawaii eCourt Kokua search platform. To view records, inquirers may input the case party's name or number. In Honolulu County, court docket searches are important for tracking case progress and staying updated about an upcoming court appearance or hearing date. 

Lookup Honolulu County Superior Court Online

In Honolulu, you can find online copies of circuit court records through the state’s eCourt search platform. Inquiries must provide relevant search data to view court records on the platform. Alternatively, third-party platforms like hawaiicourtrecords.us may offer online access to Honolulu circuit court records. These platforms are typically easy to use and may not restrict out-of-state users from accessing the records. However, they are mostly unregulated and may not contain updated or accurate court data.

Supreme Court vs. Superior Court

In Honolulu County, the Supreme Court is quite different from the First Circuit Court. These courts belong to different judicial systems and perform different functions. For instance, the Supreme Court is the highest authority in the appellate court system, while the Circuit Court is regarded as the highest trial court in the county. The Supreme Court has the final authority on appeals concerning judgments in lower courts and the intermediate Court of Appeals. However, the First Circuit Court has exclusive jurisdiction over most criminal felonies, civil, and probate cases.