Identity area
Type of entity
Corporate body
Authorized form of name
Supreme Court
Parallel form(s) of name
- Aha Hookolokolo Kiekie
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
1840-1852
History
On October 8, 1840, Kamehameha III granted the first constitution of the Hawaiian Kingdom, which vested the judicial power of government in a Supreme Court, consisting of the King as chief judge, Premier (kuhina nui), and four individuals appointed by the representative body. Island courts held by their respective governors functioned as circuit courts on their respective island. The island governors were given powers to appoint judges who functioned as district magistrates for the island. Chapter XLVII of the Laws of 1842 mandated that the Supreme judges assemble in Honolulu each June and in Lahaina each December to try cases appealed to them. Selection criteria for foreign and native juries were provided for in the Laws of 1842. The Third Act of Kamehameha III in 1847 titled "An Act to Organize the Judiciary Department of the Hawaiian Islands" created four levels of courts - the Supreme Court, the Superior Court of Law and Equity, four circuit court jurisdictions, and district courts.
The Supreme Court established by the Constitution of 1840 was abolished in December 1852. and reestablished by an 1853 act which mandated the transfer of the civil and criminal jurisdiction from the Superior Court to a new Supreme Court consisting of the three members of the former Superior Court. Pending cases from both courts were taken up by the new one.
Places
Legal status
Functions, occupations and activities
The clerks of the Supreme Court, circuit courts, and district courts were appointed by their respective courts and had the power to issue process in all suits and matters brought before the court, administer oaths, take depositions of witnesses, to assess damages, and draw juries. The clerk recorded the proceedings of the court and held custody of court records. The clerk had charge of the seals of the court, maintained financial records, made quarterly account reports, and maintained an alphabetical list of plaintiffs and defendants to any suit or judgment recorded.
Mandates/sources of authority
Constitution of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi
Chapter XLVII of the Laws of 1842
An Act to Organize the Judiciary Department of the Hawaiian Islands, 1847
Internal structures/genealogy
The Supreme Court consisted of the King as chief judge, Premier (kuhina nui), and four individuals appointed by the representative body.
General context
Relationships area
Related entity
Identifier of the related entity
Category of the relationship
Dates of the relationship
Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of the related entity
Category of the relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of the relationship
Description of relationship
Related entity
Identifier of the related entity
Category of the relationship
Type of relationship
Dates of the relationship
Description of relationship
Access points area
Subject access points
Place access points
Occupations
Control area
Authority record identifier
Maintained by
Institution identifier
Rules and/or conventions used
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and 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
Additions on 2004-04, P. Lai
Revised on 2020-09-09, Joel Horowitz
Language(s)
- English
Script(s)
Sources
Maintenance notes
1994-06, P. Lai: Created
1996-10, 1996-11, 1997-04, 2001-06, and 2002-06: Revised
2002-11, A. Hoof: Additions
2004-04, P. Lai: Additions
2020-09-09, Joel Horowitz: Entered into AtoM, with clarifications regarding the Superior, and Supreme Court of the mid-19th century.