Cases

A preliminary step toward data-driven accountability for government agencies is knowing what information an agency collects regarding its operations.  The Department of Public Safety maintains at least two databases that track information related to incarcerated individuals.  The Law Center requested the data dictionaries for OffenderTrak and PSD’s in-house data system to better understand what data […]

The Law Center moved to unseal the Defendant’s sentencing filings in United States v. Milton Choy, 22-CR-71 DKW.  The documents should state the Defendant’s position regarding issues related to his sentencing for bribery. The motion was assigned to the Honorable Derrick K. Watson.  At Defendant Choy’s sentencing on August 29, 2023, Judge Watson represented to […]

In 2018, the Law Center learned more about the State Judiciary’s use of a confidential flag.  The confidential flag seals the entire case from public view, including the names of the parties, the docket, and the identities of counsel.  Subsequent motions to unseal in specific cases raised questions about whether these cases generally deserved this […]

In 2018, the Law Center learned more about the State Judiciary’s use of a confidential flag.  The confidential flag seals the entire case from public view, including the names of the parties, the docket, and the identities of counsel.  Subsequent motions to unseal in specific cases raised questions about whether these cases generally deserved this […]

The Law Center objected to a motion filed by Defendant Terri Ann Otani to seal documents filed in connection with a proposed motion to dismiss the indictment or suppress evidence in United States v. Keith Kaneshiro et al., 22-CR-48 JMS WRP.  The only issue raised by the motion to seal is a question of secrecy […]

On September 30, 2020, federal law enforcement arrested and filed charges against Martin Kao, then chief executive officer of Martin Defense Group, LLC (now known as PacMar Technologies LLC), a government contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense.  The charges concerned Kao fraudulently obtaining $12.8 million in COVID-19 relief funds on behalf of Martin Defense […]

In 2018, the Law Center learned more about the State Judiciary’s use of a confidential flag.  The confidential flag seals the entire case from public view, including the names of the parties, the docket, and the identities of counsel.  Subsequent motions to unseal in specific cases raised questions about whether these cases generally deserved this […]

Online publication Civil Beat challenged the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s refusal to disclose any documents concerning its investigations into public corruption and bribery that resulted in the convictions of former State Senator J. Kalani English and former State Representative Ty J.K. Cullen.  The FBI claimed that English and Cullen’s privacy interests outweighed the public’s interest in […]

The Law Center moved to unseal the Government’s motion for downward departure in sentencing for former legislator Ty Cullen who pleaded guilty to honest services wire fraud for accepting bribes in United States v. Ty J.K. Cullen, 22-CR-13 SOM.  The Court granted the Government’s sealed motion before sentencing Defendant Cullen to 24 months imprisonment, as compared […]

This case concerns whether the criminal local rules of the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii violate the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and federal common law.  The U.S. Supreme Court has long recognized that there can be no guarantee of free speech on matters concerning our justice system unless the […]