Hawaii Revised Statutes

Haw. Rev. Stat. § 571-8 (2026)

District family courts; district family judges; appointment; sessions

✓ current as of July 2026

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§571-8 District family courts; district family judges; appointment; sessions. (a) In addition to the district courts established under section 604-1, there may be established in each of the judicial circuits of the State a district family court with the powers and under the conditions herein set forth which shall be styled as follows:

(1) For the first judicial circuit: The district family court of the first circuit.

(2) For the second judicial circuit: The district family court of the second circuit.

(3) For the third judicial circuit: The district family court of the third circuit.

(4) For the fifth judicial circuit: The district family court of the fifth circuit.

(b) When in the discretion of the chief justice of the supreme court the urgency or volume of cases so requires, the chief justice may appoint one or more district family judges for each judicial circuit. In addition, within any circuit, the chief justice may designate any district judge of the district court to act as a district family judge within that circuit; the judge when so designated shall exercise the powers of a district family judge appointed pursuant to this section.

The chief justice may also designate, within any circuit, a district family judge appointed pursuant to this section to act as a district judge, and the judge when so appointed shall have all the powers of a district judge appointed pursuant to section 604-2.

The chief justice may assign any district judge or district family judge of any circuit to serve temporarily in either the district court or the district family court of any other circuit.

The district family courts shall hold sessions at such places and as often as the family court judge or the senior family court judge, if there is more than one, of the judicial circuit shall prescribe. [L 1973, c 219, pt of §1; am L 1983, c 208, §1; am L 1984, c 49, §1; gen ch 1985]

Case Notes

Where judge, at the time judge entered the family court orders purporting to void the estate documents, was a district judge appointed under this section, not a circuit judge sitting by designation in family court under §571-4, the judge lacked original jurisdiction over guardianships of the property under §560:5-102 as it stood prior to the 1996 amendments to the Hawaii uniform probate code. 110 H. 8, 129 P.3d 511 (2006).

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 4 cases, 1987–2013 · leading case: Est. of Kam, 129 P.3d 511 (Haw. 2006).

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Est. of Kam, 129 P.3d 511 (Haw. 2006). · cites it 8× “See HRS § 571-4 (1993) (providing that circuit judges designated by the chief justice of the supreme court shall be judges of the family court); HRS § 571-8 (1993) (establishing district family courts and providing that the chief justice of the supreme court “may appoint one or…”

In the Interest of Doe Child., 93 P.3d 1145 (Haw. 2004). · cites it 4× “We take judicial notice that, at the time the present matter arose, Judge Bryant was a judge in the district family court, which was established pursuant to HRS § 571-8 (1993). 31 Although a circuit court judge would have possessed the jurisdiction to engage in judicial review…”

State v. Basnet., 318 P.3d 126 (Haw. 2013). · cites it 8× “(emphasis added) (citing HRS § 604-2 and HRS § 571-8). However, the ICA determined that any impropriety with respect to the arraignment and failure of the family district court to enter a separate commitment order “constituted harmless error and did not warrant dismissal.”

Eaton v. Eaton, 748 P.2d 801 (Haw. App. 1987). · cites it 2× “With respect to the family court’s jurisdiction over children and adults, the jurisdiction of the district family courts, see HRS § 571-8, can be coextensive with the jurisdiction of the family courts, see HRS § 571-8.”

— Haw. Rev. Stat. § 571-8(a) — 1 case

In the Interest of Doe Child., 93 P.3d 1145 (Haw. 2004). “We take judicial notice that, at the time the present matter arose, Judge Bryant was a judge in the district family court, which was established pursuant to HRS § 571-8 (1993). 31 Although a circuit court judge would have possessed the jurisdiction to engage in judicial review…”

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