King Kamehameha V Judiciary History Center

This was a surprise for the wife and boy was she. The area was very clean and there was an information plaque on the ground explaining about the statue. The building was nice.

An interesting tour of the history of the Hawaii judicial system. Houses the Hawaii Supreme Court and a law library. The tour guide has soo much information and it took about 3 hours to really see and read everything. It will feel like you have stepped back into time.Bring as little with u as possible because u need to go through a metal detector. It is just easier when u just carry a small bag like I did into a high security building.Bring quarters for the parking meters. Take a stall with shade so your car won't be too hot when u return to your car.

Any fans of Hawaii Five-O here? After visiting Pearl Harbor, we stopped Hawaii Five-O headquarters (Ali'iolani Hale) before heading to Diamond Head. Such a remarkable historical building in downtown. Ali'iolani Hale (King Kamehameha Statue) 417 King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii*Across the street is the Iolani Palace.

Also known as Ali'iolani Hale which means "House of the Heavenly King." This Hale was to be the royal palace for Royal Hawaiian monarchy. Well it is now the Judiciary History center and a place to make complaints as said by the security guards upon walking in through a metal detector..I slept during my government classes so I wasn't too intrigued by anything other than I haven't been here let's take a walk and check it out kind of thing.. It was free so there's not much to complain about. Gaining some historical knowledge all the while exercising does the mind and body good. I wouldn't necessarily come back here unless my son had some sort of history project relating to this historical landmark.

I had to give it one star to proceed. This place is FAKE NEWS! We took a $20 Uber ride down here from Waikiki only to find out it's "not open to the public...since covid". Well, after reading yelp reviews AND checking their website, there was NO info about this so I definitely feel misled. Can't get into the other nearby places at this point either due to limited availability so this was a bust. What a disappointment after 9 days of fun and enjoying sightseeing.

I'd bet $100 that there's nobody sitting on a beach in Oahu today saying "tomorrow let's go to that Judicial History Center". If anyone even suggested such a thing I'd scoff and blow them off with a "you're welcome to do that". It's fair to say that I didn't set out to explore the Judicial History Center, wouldn't have gone if I'd been invited, and have no intention of ever going again but a series of events found me here and if you have any interest in Hawaii's history I think you'll find the place interesting. If not, at least it's free (suggested $5 donation is optional). You'll have to go through security to get inside but once in you'll find what is essentially a museum dedicated to explaining many things related to Hawaii's legal system and uniquely Hawaiian issues as well as the history on all of that. Trust me: they put it much more articulately than I. My favorite part of the experience were the short films which you can enjoy while seated in a darkened theatre, and which take away the necessity of reading even though that's easy enough to do. Some of the films bordered on silly (but thought provoking) and others, such as the one about ownership of Hawaiian land opened my eyes to things I'd not previously been aware of. If you find yourself over in this historic part of town (perhaps when you're visiting the Hawaii State Art Museum) seize the opportunity to learn a little more about the place and the island with a visit here. The beach will wait the 60 - 90 minutes it takes you, and you'll likely learn an interesting thing or two.

Whenever visitors come to O'ahu, one of the top landmarks they're led to is the King Kamehameha I Statue (please see reviews) located in Honolulu's historic Capitol District. But, many visitors AND residents don't even look at or wander into the historical building that is located as this statue's backdrop. What is, why was and is this building historical and STILL relevant to our way of Life? It's Ali'iōlani Hale otherwise known as the King Kamehameha V Judiciary Building. This structure was built in the late 1800's and named after King Kamehameha V. King Kamehameha commissioned Ali'iōlani to be built as an official palace of the Hawaiian Monarchy. It symbolized the coming of age of this small Nation and enabled the government of then Kingdom of Hawai'i to centralize the Legislature, Treasury, Boards of Health and Education and the Supreme Court. Since its construction, a small government museum, art gallery, observatory and library had been established under this same roof. Today, this building is home of the Hawai'i State Supreme Court and the Judiciary Administration.Our visits to this History Center has allowed us to understand Hawai'i's journey to Statehood through Hawai'i's legal system. As we wandered through the history center's galleries, we read about the transition from ancient and traditional Hawai'i kapu system to modern Western Laws and Courts. There was an exhibit featuring an authentic 1913 Courtroom that led into a room showing life in Hawai'i under Martial Law following the bombing of Pearl Harbor (1941-1944). The History Center's exhibit wrapped up with wall displays of our Statehood, the King Kamehameha Statue, the Trial of the Queen (Lili'uokalani) and the architectural history of the building.For many, this history center may seem boring but it sure caught our interest as residents. We were interested in how our lives were shaped by unique events (Monarchy to Provisional Government to Republic to Territory then Statehood) from the past. However, if you're not interested in Hawaiian history or legal system you should just go in just to see the architecture or grand stained glass that fills the rotunda. The statue of King Kamehameha I stands regally in front of what was supposed to be a palace.OTHER INFORMATION:MUSEUM HOURS: Self-guided, Monday through Friday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Closed State and Federal holidays.TOURS: Free guided tours for students and adult groups are available with reservation.ADMISSION: FREE

So, I was hoping to run into Commander Steve McGarret and Officer Danny Williams with the 5-0 task force but I guess they were busy.....lol. It was awesome to visit such a historical place with rich history and stories. It's free to enter and you have to go through a metal detector and get wanded for security reasons. They have a few exhibits which take you back into the history of Hawaii and the building itself. There's a mock court room set up as it was in 1913 and an exhibit about when Hawaii was under martial law in the 1940's. Theres a few other exhibits as well. Awesome spot to visit and learn some history.

Really interesting displays of Hawaii's legal and political history.It's behind the King Kamehameha statue in the historical district so you might as well take a look inside the Ali'iolani Hale building. And it's free.

This is a very historic area. Many of the controversial events in Oahu's and Hawaii's history happened in and around these buildings that millions of tourist walk to and from - at lest to get onto the Bus.The Justice Center is just one of the places that history was made in which not only still stands but allows guests to walk through to get to know and feel history around them.I minored in History for my BS Majoring in Education. I respect history as I know all too well.... "Those not willing to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."They do a nice job of bringing some history that can be boring if it was sitting in a book to life by having some knowledgeable people available to talk story with those that are really interested in knowing about HI.No- it is not as glamorous as Hawaii 5-O makes it out to be using the King Kamehameha Statue and being the Base for their clandestine operations. Yes - in real life guards at one time did have bayonets but not even I think they used them ever the way they do in the movie-a-zation tv series. If the HI 5-O tv show brings more tourists to a great historical landmark and honors history because of a tv show that brought them to HI well that is all well and great when done and said.It is a very beautiful landmark and well worth a visit.I just like keeping a legacy and history to remind all of us of a sense of place and respect for Justice.Leaving you with another great quote;"If you want peace, work for justice." Great to have a working reminder of some of the fair justice that can be had here in HI.