State’s chief justice wants to add 4 judges for 3 islands

HONOLULU (AP) - State Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald wants lawmakers to fund four additional judges on three islands.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports Recktenwald is seeking a new family court judge on Kauai and a District Court judge on Maui. He’s asking lawmakers to pay for two judges on Oahu: one each for district and family courts.

Kauai’s only family court judge was responsible for more than 2,000 new filings last year. Maui’s population has more than doubled since it last received a new district court judge in 1982.

On Oahu, the courts need help handling a surge in drunken driving cases over the past decade.

Recktenwald made his request in his State of the Judiciary speech before a joint session of the Legislature last week.