The Intermediate Court of Appeals (ICA) will hold oral arguments at 9:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of each month beginning Sept. 12. The announcement was made by Mark Recktenwald, Chief Judge of the ICA.

Until further notice, the ICA will hold oral arguments at the Supreme Court courtroom on the same day each month except for October, when the court will convene at the University of Hawaii’s Richardson School of Law at 2 p.m. on Oct 11.

“The objective of scheduling oral arguments on a regular basis is to make the court more accessible to members of the public who wish to attend,” said Recktenwald. “By scheduling arguments on the same day each month, members of the public who are interested in the court’s operations will be able to plan ahead to attend. We hope this will foster greater understanding of the court and the issues that it is considering.”

On Wednesday, Sept. 12, the ICA will hear Hawaii Insurers Council vs. Linda Lingle, Governor, et al. at 9:00 a.m. and Right to Know Committee, et al. vs. City & County of Honolulu, et al. at 10:15 a.m. The Hawaii Insurers Council case involves a challenge to the legislative transfer of millions of dollars in fees collected by the State from insurers to the state general fund. The Right to Know Committee case involves a claim that members of the Honolulu City Council violated the state sunshine law by holding a series of closed-door meetings to reorganize the Council’s leadership.

All appeals from decisions of the circuit, family, and district courts, as well as from some administrative agencies, are considered by the ICA. Parties who are dissatisfied with the ICA’s ruling can then petition the Hawai`i Supreme Court for further review.

A listing of future oral arguments before the ICA and the Supreme Court is available on the Judiciary’s website at www.courts.state.hi.us. After arguments are held, recordings of the arguments are posted on the website 48 hours after the argument.

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Contact: Marsha E. Kitagawa, 539-4909