Gov. Green Signs Bills to Support Efforts of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary

From left: State House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Vice Chair Mahina Poepoe, Gov. Josh Green, State Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Karl Rhoads, and Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald in the governor’s ceremonial room at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol, June 26, 2025.

HONOLULU – Gov. Josh Green, M.D., on June 26, signed into law Act 228 (House Bill 727) which makes permanent the Oʻahu Women’s Court Program and establishes a temporary two-year Women’s Court Pilot Program in Kona on Hawaiʻi Island, and Act 227 (House Bill 400) which provides full funding for the Judiciary’s 2025 budget requests, including design funds for a new South Kohala courthouse.

“This year, the Legislature passed measures that give significant and much needed support for the Judiciary’s ongoing efforts to ensure our communities have a secure, modern, and responsive court system that accommodates the growth in population and caseloads we have seen over the past 40 years,” said Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald.

“On behalf of the entire Judiciary, I extend my sincere appreciation to Senate President Ronald Kouchi, House Speaker Nadine Nakamura, Ways & Means Chair Donovan Dela Cruz, former Finance Chair Kyle Yamashita, Judiciary Chair Karl Rhoads, and Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs Chair David Tarnas for their support,” Chief Justice Recktenwald continued.

“Our legislators work hard each session, analyzing hundreds of program requests, and making very difficult funding decisions,” said Oʻahu Women’s Court Judge Trish Morikawa. “We are extremely grateful that they recognize the positive impact the Women’s Court has on the participants, their children, and the larger community. We look forward to making these benefits available to many more women in the justice system who are ready to build a new life.”

Women’s Court is an alternative to incarceration based on the probation model of other specialty courts (e.g., Drug Court and Veterans Court programs). It seeks to keep justice-involved women out of jail and prison by addressing common underlying issues specific to women who have committed non-violent crimes. Success in these endeavors will help to improve social circumstances for Hawai‘i’s next generation.

Third Circuit Chief Court Administrator Robert D. Kim also expressed appreciation to the Legislature for appropriating more than half a million dollars for Fiscal Years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to launch the new Women’s Court Pilot Project in Kona.

“Women’s Court recognizes a connection between each defendant’s criminal record and past traumatic experiences,” he said. “The Kona Women’s Court will provide a ‘humane justice’ and ‘compassionate court’ approach, with the core objective of providing trauma-informed care, gender-responsive services in mental health, substance use disorder treatment, education, as well as training in domestic violence prevention, and life-skills.”

He also highlighted the appropriation of funds for design of a new South Kohala Courthouse as a significant gain for the state’s third judicial circuit.

“The North Hawaiʻi community has grown considerably since the 1980s when the current courthouse was built,” said Kim. “The enhanced features of this new courthouse would help us better serve the population with improved access to the district court’s civil, criminal, and family court justice systems. Under our current plans, the courthouse will continue managing traffic cases, and will include offices and support spaces for those under the supervision of juvenile and adult probation.”

Also signed by Gov. Green on June 26 were Act 229 (House Bill 280) officially establishing the Community Outreach Court (COC) as a permanent program of the First Circuit (Oʻahu), Act 230 (House Bill 398) increasing compensation for court-appointed attorneys and guardians ad litem in family court proceedings, Act 231 (House Bill 399) for a new district court judge in Honolulu, Act 232 (House Bill 401) providing for a new district court judge position in Kona, and Act 233 (Senate Bill 304) appropriating funds and operating expenses for eight full time probation officer positions along with several assistant and clerk positions for Oʻahu’s adult probation office.

Video of the bill signing is available on the Governor Josh Green Facebook page in the “Live” section.