A committee of stakeholders from across the criminal justice system is working to bring the state more in line with national trends on drug possession and probation.

House Republican Minority Floor Leader Diamond Garcia called the Democrats’ proposal a “slap in the face” to struggling working families.

Unlike in 2025, a potpourri of bills to protect immigrants and limit local cooperation with ICE are advancing through the Legislature.

More financial support for the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and tackling federal immigration and customs enforcement are top priorities for the chairs of the judiciary committees in the Hawaiʻi Legislature.

The Attorney General’s Office just expunged the records of more than 1,300 Big Island residents through a pilot program. Some policymakers want to see the work expand.

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Anne Lopez says the state won’t pursue an investigation, but lawmakers are facing pressure to launch their own probe.

Advocates say we’re the only state without a law requiring release of dying inmates in some circumstances, and will press the Legislature to pass one.

For some lawmakers, quietly is the most effective way to legislate. Others feel the public should hear exactly where they stand.

Joint fundraisers in odd-numbered years are more prevalent than they used to be.