So that district court criminal and civil cases can be judged faster, the state Judiciary has decided to hear the cases in two different court buildings on Kaua’i. Effective June 7, Lihu’e District Court civil cases will be held in
So that district court criminal and civil cases can be judged faster, the state Judiciary has decided to hear the cases in two different court buildings on Kaua’i.
Effective June 7, Lihu’e District Court civil cases will be held in the Koloa District Court building as a result of a substantial increase in criminal, traffic and civil cases being heard at the Lihu’e courthouse.
The glut of cases developed at the Lihu’e court after the Waimea and the Koloa district courts were closed due to concerns about security and the high cost of their operations, said Ernest Barreira, court administrator for the Fifth Circuit Court.
Traffic and criminal cases will continue to be heard in Lihu’e court on the first Friday afternoon of each month.
In the meantime, the Hanalei District Court will continue to hear cases on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month, Barreira said.
But all the district courts on Kaua’i will be consolidated in one place after the completion of the new state courthouse on the makai side of Kuhio Highway by the Lihue Airport, Barreira said.
The project, estimated to be built at a cost of $34 million, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2005.
Currently, Circuit Court civil cases, presided over by state Judge George Masuoka, will be held at the Koloa District Court building.
Circuit Court criminal cases, presided over by state Judge Clifford Nakea, are heard at the Lihu’e courthouse.
