The Hawaii State judiciary has four levels; two at the trial level and two at the appellate level. The trial-level courts are the district court, for lesser offenses and minor civil cases, and circuit court, for more serious offenses and major civil cases. There are two appellate courts, the Intermediate Court of Appeals, the lower appellate court, and the Supreme Court, for appeals from the decision of the Intermediate Court via
certiorari, and for certain cases, such as election cases, over which it exercises original jurisdiction. The specific roles and names of the courts are as follows: • The
Hawaii State Supreme Court is the
state supreme court. It is the
high court of the state and makes binding decisions over appeals from the lower courts upon transfer from the Intermediate Court of Appeals and cases eligible to be heard directly by the Hawaii Supreme Court. It is also responsible for court rules, licensing and disciplining attorneys. • The
Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals is the state's intermediate
appellate court. It reviews appeals from state trial court or
administrative agency decisions. Its decisions, under certain circumstances, are subject to the Hawai`i Supreme Court's review. • The primary civil and criminal court in Hawaii is the body known as the
Hawaii state circuit courts. They rule all jury trial cases and have
exclusive jurisdiction over
probate,
guardianship and criminal felony cases as well as civil cases where the
amount in controversy exceeds $25,000. • The
Hawaii State family courts deal with
family law. They have exclusive jurisdiction over cases with
minors involving
delinquency,
status offenses,
abuse and
neglect, termination of parental rights,
adoption guardianships and detention among others. The Family Courts also oversee cases of domestic relations, include
divorce,
child support, and
custody cases. • The
Hawaii state district courts have exclusive jurisdiction over
traffic infractions, landlord-tenant disputes, civil
bench trials cases where the amount in controversy is under $10,000, civil cases where claim does not exceed $25,000, criminal offenses punishable by fine or by imprisonment not exceeding one year, county-ordinance cases and petitions for restraining orders. The
Hawaii State Small Claims Court is a division of district court dealing with
small claims. • The
Hawaii Land Court has exclusive jurisdiction over cases involving
land titles and is a part of circuit court. • The
Hawaii State Tax Appeal Court has jurisdiction over cases involving property, excise, liquor, tobacco, income and insurance taxes, and is a part of circuit court. ==External links==