A judge in Hawaii issued an arrest warrant for Maui resident Kaleikoa Kaʻeo for speaking his native Hawaiian language during court proceedings, but then rescinded the order a day later.
English and Hawaiian are both official languages in Hawaii, The Splinter noted.
Hawaii Public Radio reported that Kaleikoa Ka’eo arrived to court on Wednesday morning at 10:00 a.m. Upon being summoned by Judge Kobayashi to acknowledge his presence in court, Ka’eo responded in Hawaiian language, replying, “Eia no wau ke ku nei” (Here I am standing here).” Judge Kobayashi replied, “I don’t know what that means,” according to The Splinter.
In turn, Judge Kobayashi refused to admit this non-English statement as an acknowledgement of presence, and has issued a bench warrant for Ka’eo’s arrest for failing to appear in court.
“What will happen, I don’t know,” said Ka’eo to Maui Now after the warrant was issued Wednesday. “Maybe they’re going to pick me up tonight, tomorrow. I don’t even know my next court date.”
Ka’eo is a professor of Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii Maui College. He is bilingual in both Hawaiian and English, but has been teaching the Hawaiian language for 25 years and considers Hawaiian his language of choice. He said he wanted to address his right to speak Hawaiian in his own homeland.
By Thursday, Judge Blaine Kobayashi had a change in heart. He rescinded the arrest warrant. A hearing will be heard about the use of a Hawaiian language interpreter, according to Hawaii Public Radio.
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