Hawaii: Attorney & Judicial Discipline
Who regulates lawyers and judges in Hawaii, how complaints are filed, counted, and adjudicated, and where the complaint and disposition numbers come from.
Attorney discipline
Who regulates lawyers in Hawaii Publishes statistics
Attorney discipline in Hawaii is administered by the Office of Disciplinary Counsel / Disciplinary Board, Hawaii Supreme Court, under the ultimate authority of the Hawaii Supreme Court.
About -311.0% of complaints proceed past initial screening (2015); the rest are screened out or dismissed.
How complaints are filed
A complaint (often called a grievance) against a lawyer is filed directly with the Office of Disciplinary Counsel / Disciplinary Board, Hawaii Supreme Court, typically via an online or printable complaint form. Filing is free and no lawyer is needed. The agency screens each filing to confirm it involves an attorney under its jurisdiction and conduct that could violate the rules of professional conduct; filings that survive screening are opened for investigation. The disciplinary process addresses professional misconduct — it cannot overturn a case result or award damages.
How complaints are counted
This state publishes aggregate attorney discipline statistics — cases received/closed/pending, dismissed, admonition, private/public reprimand, censure, suspension, disbarment, resignation; source, field, misconduct. Published as: HTML dashboard + PDF/XLSX; coverage: dashboard + PDFs 2021–2025 + 2016–2020 comparative. Very granular (current site dbhawaii.org).
How complaints are adjudicated
Hawaii follows the standard three-stage model used across U.S. jurisdictions: disciplinary counsel screens and investigates; where warranted, formal charges are heard by a hearing panel or disciplinary board, which recommends a sanction; and final authority over public discipline — disbarment, suspension, public censure or reprimand — rests with the Hawaii Supreme Court. Lesser private discipline (admonitions) may issue below the court level and never becomes public. Exact panel composition, deadlines, and appeal rights are set by the jurisdiction's disciplinary rules.
| Year | Investigations opened | Disbarments | Public suspensions | Public reprimands censures | Private discipline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 464 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 17 |
| 2020 | 347 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 17 |
| 2021 | 318 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 14 |
| 2022 | 301 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| 2023 | 436 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
| 2024 | 407 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 |
Judicial discipline
Who regulates judges in Hawaii Publishes statistics
Complaints against Hawaii state judges are handled by the Hawaii Commission on Judicial Conduct. (Federal judges sitting in Hawaii are covered by the separate federal system.)
How complaints are filed
Complaints about Hawaii judges are filed in writing with the Hawaii Commission on Judicial Conduct. Filing is free and confidential. The commission's jurisdiction covers judicial conduct — bias, demeanor, conflicts, delay, abuse of office — not the legal correctness of rulings, which must be challenged on appeal. Complaints are screened confidentially, and most are dismissed at that stage.
How complaints are counted
This state publishes aggregate judicial discipline statistics — inquiries received, complaints processed/dismissed, category, complaints by position, advisory opinions. Published as: Annual-report PDF; coverage: FY reports back to ~1989-90. Near-zero enforcement (most dismissed).
How complaints are adjudicated
If screening indicates possible misconduct, the commission investigates and may file formal charges heard in a formal proceeding. In most states the commission's role ends in a recommendation, with final public discipline — censure, suspension, or removal — imposed by the state's highest court; in some, the commission itself imposes sanctions subject to review. Hawaii's exact division of authority is set by its constitution and court rules. Confidential dispositions (private cautions or advisory letters) never become public.
| Year | Complaints received | Formal complaints filed | Dispositions total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 410 | 17 | 17 |
| 2019 | 382 | 8 | 8 |
| 2020 | 274 | 7 | 7 |
| 2021 | 325 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 0 | — | — |
| 2023 | 1,009 | 7 | 7 |
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- Office of Disciplinary Counsel / Disciplinary Board, Hawaii Supreme Court — attorney discipline statistics
- Office of Disciplinary Counsel / Disciplinary Board, Hawaii Supreme Court — main site
- Hawaii Commission on Judicial Conduct — judicial discipline statistics / annual reports
- Hawaii Commission on Judicial Conduct — main site
- ABA Survey on Lawyer Discipline Systems (S.O.L.D.)
- NCSC Center for Judicial Ethics — annual state judicial-discipline reviews