Honolulu First Circuit Court Electronic Filing Rules

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

Applies to

All documents

Unless an exception applies, JEFS Users must file every document electronically through JEFS as a PDF, including documents proposed for sealing or in camera review.

Unless otherwise expressly provided in these rules or in exceptional circumstances that prevent a JEFS User from filing electronically, a JEFS User shall file each document as a PDF document through JEFS for docketing and storage in JIMS, including documents that are sealed by court order and documents proposed to be submitted under seal or for in camera review.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

Applies to

All documents

Court documents must be filed through the Judiciary website, court-generated documents must be electronically filed by the clerk, and each document may not exceed 10 megabytes.

A JEFS User shall file documents by way of the Judiciary’s website. The clerk shall electronically file each document generated by the court. The size of each document shall not exceed 10 megabytes.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

Exhibits must be submitted as separately labeled JEFS attachments to the lead document.

Exhibits shall be submitted as separate JEFS attachments to the lead document. The JEFS User shall identify and label each exhibit clearly.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

Applies to

Court issued documents

All orders, decrees, judgments, and other court-issued documents must be electronically filed under internal court procedures.

All orders, decrees, judgments, and other court-issued documents shall be electronically filed in accordance with internal court procedures.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

Civil cases

Applies to

All documents

Attorneys representing parties in JIMS cases must register as JEFS users and electronically file all documents unless the court exempts them.

As provided by Rule 4 of the Hawaiʻi Electronic Filing and Service Rules, unless exempted by the court, each attorney representing a party to a case maintained in the Judiciary Information Management System (JIMS) shall register as a Judiciary Electronic Filing and Service System (JEFS) User and shall file all documents electronically.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

Applies to

Confidential settlement letter

Confidential settlement conference letters must not be electronically filed in JEFS.

Do not electronically file your confidential settlement letters in JEFS.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

A non-JEFS user must print, sign, date, and submit a hard copy to the Legal Documents Branch clerk for filing.

If you are not a JEFS User, you must print a hard copy of your document, sign and date the document, and then submit it to the Legal Documents Branch clerk for filing.

Checked and corrected to match the court's document on Oct 3, 2026CRITICAL

A JEFS user must convert a self-created document to PDF; a non-JEFS user must print, sign, date, and submit the document to the Legal Documents Branch clerk.

If you create your own document, you must convert it to a PDF file if you are a JEFS User. If you are not a JEFS User, you must print a hard copy of your document, sign and date the document, and then submit it to the Legal Documents Branch clerk for filing.

Checked against the court's document on Oct 3, 2026INFO

The filing clerk will date and time stamp the document and electronically file the original.

Your document will be date and time stamped by the filing clerk, who will electronically file your original document.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Applies to

Civil document ?

Upon introduction of electronic filing in civil matters in the circuit courts, the clerk shall electronically file any paper document submitted to the clerk. The receipt date and time reflected on the conventionally filed document, subsequently filed in JIMS, shall be deemed the filing date for all purposes under these Rules. Once electronically filed, the clerk shall not retain the paper document.

Summary: For civil matters, the clerk must electronically file submitted paper documents and preserve the paper receipt date and time as the filing date.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Applies to

Motion to advance or shorten hearing ?

Any motion to shorten time for hearing or motion to advance hearing shall be electronically filed or conventionally filed if the filing party is not a JEFS User. The motion shall cite the authority and state the reason(s) and factual or other basis for the request. The motion shall be accompanied by a proposed order granting the motion and including an appropriate space for the date and time of the hearing.

Summary: A motion to shorten or advance a hearing must be electronically filed, unless the filer is not a JEFS user, and must state its authority and basis and include a proposed order.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Applies to

Proposed order findings conclusions judgment ?

Proposed orders, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgments shall be clearly marked "proposed" and filed through JEFS or JIMS like any other document.

Summary: Proposed orders, findings of fact, conclusions of law, and judgments must be filed electronically through JEFS or JIMS.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Applies to

Non hearing motion to utilize private court reporter ?

When you have completed the form, file the original form in the applicable case as a non-hearing motion along with the proposed order. The form shall be electronically filed or conventionally filed with the trial court clerk if the filing party is not a registered Judiciary Electronic Filing System user.

Summary: The completed original Form 4 must be filed as a non-hearing motion with the proposed order, either electronically or conventionally with the trial-court clerk when the filer is not a registered Judiciary Electronic Filing System user.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Self-represented parties: If you are not represented by an attorney and are not a JEFS User, submit your completed documents to the Legal Documents Branch of the respective circuit court for conventional filing by the clerk of court.

Summary: Self-represented parties who are not JEFS users must submit their completed documents to the circuit court's Legal Documents Branch for conventional filing by the clerk.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

JEFS Users: If you are a registered JEFS User, you can upload the documents together as a single document or you may separately file the Notice of Request for Scheduling Conference as the lead document with the [Proposed Order] Setting Scheduling Conference as a supporting document.

Summary: A registered JEFS user may upload both documents together or file the Notice as the lead document and the proposed order as a supporting document.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Self-represented parties: If you are not represented by an attorney and are not a JEFS User, submit your completed document to the Legal Documents Branch of the respective circuit court for conventional filing by the clerk of court.

Summary: A self-represented party that is not a JEFS user must submit the completed document to the Legal Documents Branch for conventional filing by the clerk of court.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Applies to

Joint report of the parties

JEFS Users: If you are a registered JEFS User, you must electronically file the Joint Report of the Parties.

Summary: A registered JEFS user must electronically file the Joint Report of the Parties.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

If you create your own document, you must convert it to a PDF file if you are a JEFS User.

Summary: A self-prepared document submitted by a JEFS user must be converted to PDF.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Self-represented parties: If you are not represented by an attorney and are not a JEFS User, submit your completed document to the Legal Documents Branch of the respective circuit court for conventional filing by the clerk of court.

Summary: A self-represented party that is not a JEFS User must submit the completed document to the circuit court's Legal Documents Branch for filing by the clerk.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

Your document will be date and time stamped by the filing clerk, who will electronically file your original document.

Summary: For conventionally submitted documents, the filing clerk date- and time-stamps the document and electronically files the original.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.CRITICAL?

JEFS Users: If you are a registered JEFS User, you must electronically file the document.

Summary: A registered JEFS User must electronically file the document.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Applies to

Exhibits

A party may conventionally file exhibits that cannot be electronically converted (e.g., videotapes, large maps, weapons, drugs, drug paraphernalia, etc).

Summary: Exhibits that cannot be electronically converted may be filed conventionally.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.WARNING?

Civil cases

Any other rule to the contrary notwithstanding, the clerk shall not refuse to accept for filing any paper presented for that purpose solely because it is not presented in proper form as required by these Rules.

Summary: The clerk may not reject a paper solely because it is not presented in the proper form required by the rules.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.INFO?

A self-represented party may register as a JEFS User for the case(s) in which he or she is a party.

Summary: A self-represented party may register as a JEFS User for the case in which the party is appearing.

Not confirmed. Read the court's wording below.INFO?

Civil cases

Applies to

Case registration ?

An unrepresented party may register as a JEFS User for the case in which the unrepresented party is an individual party.

Summary: An unrepresented individual party may register as a JEFS user for the case.