OUR ADVOCACY

CASES

Enforcing the Public's Right to Transparency

The following case summaries and select court filings provide a resource for those seeking to enforce public rights of access.

In re Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest (Doe Corp. v. Individuals)

The Law Center objected to a global toy company’s effort to proceed anonymously in a trademark infringement action without publicly explaining its need for anonymity[...]

State v. Abion

The Law Center moved to unseal records in a case pending before the Hawaii Supreme Court, State v. Abion, No. SCWC-18-600, that raises questions regarding[...]

In re Motion to Unseal Court Records (In re Search of “Painkiller”)

The Law Center moved to unseal documents filed under seal without public explanation in In re Search of Boston Whaler 370 Outrage “Painkiller”, 18-CV-80 and[...]

In re Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest (United States v. Michael Miske)

The Law Center objected to the Government’s effort to authorize sealing of court records as part of a proposed protective order for discovery purposes in[...]

Disappeared News v. Maui Planning Commission

Disappeared News, The Hawaii Independent, and Victor Gregor Limon challenged the decision of a hearing officer for the Maui Planning Commission to close contested case[...]

In re Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest (United States v. Minh-Hung Nguyen)

The Law Center moved to unseal to Defendant Minh-Hung Nguyen's redacted sentencing memorandum in United States v. Kealoha, 17-CR-582 JMS WRP. On June 1, 2020,[...]

Judges for Justice v. Nakamoto

Judges for Justice, a Washington nonprofit, filed a motion to unseal in In re Schweitzer, S.P. No. 07-1-0007. The only filings in the case (two[...]

Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest, Inc. v. City & County of Honolulu

The Law Center challenged the Honolulu City Council’s decision to amend a meeting agenda with less notice than required by the Sunshine Law to discuss[...]

In re Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest (United States v. Louis Kealoha)

The Law Center objected to Defendant Louis Kealoha’s effort to seal “letters and documents” regarding his sentencing in United States v. Kealoha, 17-CR-582 JMS WRP.[...]

In re Office of Information Practices Opinion Letter No. F19-05

The State of Hawaii Department of Taxation disagreed with an opinion issued by the Office of Information Practices concerning public access to the Department’s assumptions[...]