Judiciary History Center.

Perhaps one of the most recognizable images of Hawaii is the King Kamehameha I statue. To those devotees of the television series, "Hawaii Five-O" the building behind the statue is also recognizable as the headquarters of this special task force under the governor of Hawaii. In actuality, this is the Supreme Court of Hawaii. In the Hawaiian language, the building is known as "Ali'i olani Hale" (The House of Heavenly Kings) because it served as the former seat of the government of the Kingdom of Hawaii , and later, the Republic of Hawaii. Built in 1872, it was designed as the royal palace of King Kamehameha V. However, the king recognized that his growing kingdom needed more government office space, so part of the palace was designated for use for this purpose. The king died before the transitions could be completed. In 1889, a portion of the building was dedicated as the "King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center" with a focus on Hawaii's legal history, as it transitioned from its traditional "kapu" set of rules and prohibitions for everyday life, to a 19th century western style legal system. The center includes a restored 1913 courtroom ( site of the famous Massie Murder Trial). Today, in addition to being the home to the Supreme Court and the Judiciary History Center, the building houses Hawaii's largest law library. This is definitely worth seeing,especially since admission is free. Just don't expect to see "Commander Steve McGarrett" nor his "staff" roaming the halls.

The Supreme Court building (aka "Hawaii Five-O" headquarters) behind the King Kamehameha I statue

This stunning view of the main entrance was taken from the second floor balcony. The Judiciary History Center is off to the left of this picture, on the first floor.

This is the actual chamber in which the Hawaiian Supreme Court hears cases.

Model of the original Supreme Court building.

As Hawaiian law transitioned towards the 19th century western style, cases began to be decided by juries rather than by tribal chiefs. This Chinese bamboo jury chair was one of the first to be used during this transition.

The Palace, later to become the Supreme Court building, was originally built of coral blocks chiseled from offshore reefs.

These judges chairs were among the earliest used after the introduction of western style law.

One of the main exhibits in the Judiciary History Center is this restored 1913 courtroom.

Following the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, law in the Hawaiian Islands changed drastically. It became martial law under military tribunals...

This was one of the more iconic images of that time period.

Eventually everything returned to a form of normalcy. The King Kamehameha V Judicary History Center provides a record of all of these changes for folks like us to see.