07-05-2025
Law Week: What you didn't know about District Court proceedings
HONOLULU (KHON2) – It's Law Week and today we're discussing the District Court, which handles cases such as traffic crimes.
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According to Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Susan Chon of the City and County of Honolulu, District Court hears both civil and criminal cases. Prosecutors handle the criminal cases, which in District Court can generally be divided into traffic crimes and other crimes.
Traffic crimes include things like driving without a license, driving without motor vehicle insurance, DUIs (also known as 'operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant'), and excessive speeding where the speed exceeds the amount for a regular non-criminal speeding ticket.
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Other crimes include things like harassment, assault, minor thefts, and trespassing. Prosecutors also handle traffic 'infractions'— essentially, regular traffic tickets.
An example of a regular traffic ticket that involves a prosecutor could be driving alone in the HOV lane during designated hours or driving with a mobile device.
Chon says District Court participants are generally allowed to attend court via Zoom. Nearly all of our District Courts, specifically on Oahu, are still hybrid — allowing court participants to appear either in person or via Zoom.
Some proceedings, like trial for example, must be attended in person. Most 'status' or 'pretrial conferences,' however, may be held over Zoom or in person.
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But if a judge orders you to appear in person, you definitely want to be there in person.
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