THE SENATE

KA ‘AHA KENEKOA

 

INTERIM OF 2026

 

COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY

Senator Karl Rhoads, Chair

Senator Mike Gabbard, Vice Chair

 

 

NOTICE OF INFORMATIONAL BRIEFING

 

DATE:

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

TIME:

10:00 A.M.

PLACE:

Conference Room 229 & Videoconference

State Capitol

415 South Beretania Street

 

 

PHOTO ID REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE TO THE STATE CAPITOL

BUILDING HOURS: 7AM TO 5PM, MONDAY - FRIDAY

 

A live stream of all Senate Standing Committee meetings will be available on the Senate YouTube Channel.

 

 

 

A G E N D A

 

Informational Briefing on the Rule of Law

 

The Judiciary Committee is holding an informational briefing to hear from the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald, Retired Chief Justice, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court, on the rule of law.  The Chief Justice is part of the "Alliance of Former Chief Justices" which is a project of the nonpartisan civic organization "Keep Our Republic" (https://keepourrepublic.org/what-we-do/initiatives/alliance-of-former-chief-justices/). 

 

The rule of law is defined by the World Justice Project as "a durable system of laws, institutions, norms, and community commitment that delivers four universal principles: accountability, just law, open government, and accessible and impartial justice."  Recent U.S. presidential executive orders and policies have challenged the judicial branch's powers and tested the limits of the rule of law.  This informational briefing will examine questions about adherence to the rule of law and the role of an independent judicial system.

 

            1.  Welcome and Introductions

 

2.  Presentation “Defending the Rule of Law”, the Honorable Mark E. Recktenwald (Retired), Chief   

     Justice, Hawaiʻi Supreme Court

 

            3.  Questions from the Committee (limited to 5 minutes per Member for Questions and Answers) 

 

 

As is the norm for informational briefings, no public testimony will be accepted.

 

 

Briefing Materials (if any)

 

 

For special assistance: The cable TV broadcast and/or live stream of this meeting will include closed captioning. If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, please call the committee clerk at the telephone number listed below or email [email protected]. Requests made as early as possible have a greater likelihood of being fulfilled.

 

FOR AMENDED NOTICES:  Measures that have been deleted are stricken through and measures that have been added are underscored.  If a measure is both underscored and stricken through, that measure has been deleted from the agenda.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL THE COMMITTEE CLERK AT (808) 586-6130.

 

 

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Karl Rhoads

Chair

 

 

_____________________________________

Senator Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate