Hawaii Ranks No. 3 In Access To Justice
In a national study, Hawaii ranks third in a study of how well it provides judicial access to the poor, self-litigants, non-English speakers and the disabled.
Hawaii’s judicial system ranks among the top three in the country when it comes to access to justice, according to the National Center for Access to Justice鈥檚 latest state-by-state ranking.
The New York-based center’s , released Wednesday, evaluated each state, the nation’s capital and Puerto Rico on four categories: the number of legal aid attorneys for the poor, the availability of resources for people representing themselves in court, support for non-English speakers and assistance to the disabled.
The center placed Hawaii on the top spot for providing language services, fifth in attorney access and support for self-represented litigants, and seventh in helping people with disabilities.
Overall, Hawaii came in third, behind the District of Columbia and Massachusetts. Mississippi occupied the bottom spot, followed by Puerto Rico and Wyoming.
鈥淲e are very pleased that we are being recognized for providing Hawaii鈥檚 residents with some of the highest levels of service in the country,鈥 Mark Recktenwald, chief justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court, said in a statement. 鈥淚ncreasing access to justice requires a collaborative effort. We are so grateful to all those who are committed and dedicated to making 100 percent access a reality for all.鈥
