#Hawaiʻi Judiciary

The Hawaiʻi State Judiciary is warning the public about a new wave of scam text messages falsely claiming to come from the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary and alleging that recipients have unpaid traffic fines.

The Hawaiʻi House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted bills to modernize and strengthen the state’s criminal justice system. Developed by the House Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs, the measures focus on increasing fairness, ensuring law enforcement is qualified and well trained, improving transparency and data collection, and promoting better outcomes for individuals and communities.

Lahaina District Court, located at 1870 Honoapiʻilani Highway, is closed today due to an ongoing power outage.

Depending on performance on written and oral exams, court interpreters are paid $35 to $100 per hour, with a two-hour minimum. A Maui workshop takes place on Feb. 25-26 at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

By law, Hawaiʻi residents must respond to jury questionnaires. However, scammers may try to exploit this legitimate process by impersonating court officials or law enforcement officers and claiming you have an outstanding warrant for failing to appear for jury duty. Victims are then pressured to pay a “fine” immediately to avoid arrest.

The Executive Order does not impact Hawaiʻi’s recognition of both English and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi as the state’s official languages. The Judiciary reaffirms its policy of allowing people to communicate with the courts in either language.