Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald delivered the State of the Judiciary address Wednesday during a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol in Honolulu.
Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald delivered the State of the Judiciary address Wednesday during a joint session of the state House and Senate at the Capitol in Honolulu.
“I thank the Legislature for its strong support of the Judiciary. We are grateful to all of you for funding construction of a new courthouse in Kona,” Recktenwald said in his opening.
“When that courthouse opens in 2019, it will provide the people of West Hawaii with a modern, efficient and secure place for obtaining justice.”
Recktenwald also thanked Gov. David Ige for his strong support of the Kona courthouse and the Judiciary’s efforts to increase access to the civil justice system.
“One of the most fundamental roles of the courts is to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. We do that in many different ways,” he said. “First and foremost, we provide a fair and transparent forum for the peaceful resolution of disputes.
“We do a lot of that: this past fiscal year, alone, more than 100,000 cases were filed in Hawaii’s courts, along with hundreds of thousands of traffic and parking citations.”