Identity area
Reference code
Title
Date(s)
- 1852-1913 (Creation)
Level of description
Series
Extent and medium
17.8 cubic feet, 107 oversize volumes.
Context area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The 1847 Act organizing the Judiciary Department designated the district and police courts as the island courts not of record. District and police court determinations were subject to appeal in the circuit courts on their respective island. District and police justices had jurisdiction to determine all civil and criminal cases. Police justices were assigned to the ports of Honolulu and Lahaina and had jurisdiction over both minor civil and criminal as well as maritime cases. Police justices also had jurisdiction over foreigners over the entire island or circuit in which his district was situated.
In 1892, the Judiciary reorganized. The islands of Kauai and Niihau were designated the Fifth Circuit. The jurisdiction of the Fourth Circuit encompassed the districts of Hamakua, Hilo and Puna on the island of Hawaii. In 1943 the Fourth Circuit was abolished and the entire island of Hawaii was again designated the Third Circuit.
The 1892 Judiciary reorganization designated all police justices as district magistrates, holding powers formerly exercised by police justices.
The district courts' jurisdiction remained the same when Hawaii became a territory of the United States in 1900. The exception was maritime cases which were not heard in the district courts after 1900.
Traffic violations, previously handled by the county police departments, were criminalized and heard in the district courts after 1960.
Repository
Archival history
Some Hawaiian documents have been translated to English by the courts and Archives translators.
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer
Content and structure area
Scope and content
Contains proceedings relating to minor civil suits, criminal arraignments, and criminal cases. Criminal cases requiring juries were tried in the circuit court, with initial arraignments in the district court. Minute book entries provide date of court hearing, name of presiding magistrate, minutes to cases heard before the district court magistrate, judgments, fines and sentences. Criminal cases involve public nuisance, drunkenness, gambling, polygamy, adultery, sale of intoxicating drinks, breaking Sabbath, and theft. Also contains "haalele hana" cases where indentured agricultural laborers were brought before the district magistrate by plantations for not fulfilling the terms of labor contracts.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling
Accruals
System of arrangement
Arranged by districts in the following order: North Hilo, South Hilo, Puna, Kau, South Kona, North Kona, South Kohala, and North Kohala; and chronologically thereunder.
Conditions of access and use area
Conditions governing access
Conditions governing reproduction
Language of material
- English
- Hawaiian
Script of material
Language and script notes
Physical characteristics and technical requirements
Finding aids
Uploaded finding aid
Allied materials area
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related units of description
Notes area
Alternative identifier(s)
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
Genre access points
Description control area
Description identifier
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation revision deletion
Created on 1994-06, P. Lai
Revised on 1996-10, 1996-11, 1997-04, 2001-06, and 2002-06
Additions on 2002-11, A. Hoof
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Archivist's note
1994-06, P. Lai: Created
1996-10, 1996-11, 1997-04, 2001-06, and 2002-06: Revised
2002-11, A. Hoof: Additions
2020-09-09, Joel Horowitz: Entered into AtoM