Hawaii Court Records Search
Hawaii's Intermediate Court of Appeals is the appellate court for the state and hears the majority of all appeals from trial courts and state agencies. The Intermediate Court of Appeals has six judges that sit in panels of three for each case. Whenever the verdict of a trial is opposed, the case ends up in the Intermediate Court of Appeals. The board of judges reviews the evidence, trial transcript, files, documents, briefs and oral arguments to come to a decision about whether or not any errors were made in upholding the law during the original trial.
According to their website, "The Intermediate Court of Appeals has discretionary authority to entertain cases submitted without a prior suit when there is a question of law that could be the subject of a civil action or a proceeding in the Circuit Court, or Tax Appeal Court, and the parties agree upon the facts upon which the controversy depends."
In some instances, cases heard by the Intermediate Court of Appeals may be moved to the Supreme Court. However, cases are not often accepted at the Supreme Court level. The Hawaii State Judiciary website contains videos to explain the Supreme Court and Intermediate Court of Appeals. The video series is called "Tips from the Bench and Bar." The website explains it as: The series features Hawaii Supreme Court justices, Intermediate Court of Appeals judges, and practitioners who frequently practice in Hawaii appellate courts. They are interviewed on practical matters of how to handle an appeal in Hawaii." This is an excellent place to start when learning about how the Intermediate Court of Appeals works.
On average 3,500 cases are appealed in the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals each year. Of those, about 331 are civil cases and only 178 are criminal cases.