LIHU‘E — The morning rush into court is a little less chaotic with the help of retired court clerks as volunteer information kiosk coordinators. The court doors open to the public at 7:45 a.m. Dozens of attorneys, defendants, jurors, witnesses
LIHU‘E — The morning rush into court is a little less chaotic with the help of retired court clerks as volunteer information kiosk coordinators.
The court doors open to the public at 7:45 a.m. Dozens of attorneys, defendants, jurors, witnesses and visitors have to clear security with only a few minutes left to find where they need to be before the various courts convene at 8 a.m.
Millie Ah Hee provides assistance with reading the court calendars and assists first-time visitors who more often need help finding and locating the proper courtrooms, as well as other information.
“Some are returning, but other people are appearing for jury trials or a grand jury, and I help get them to their courtroom in time to make their appearance,” Ah Hee said.
Ah Hee was the operations branch manager in the legal documents section for 5th Circuit Court. In a long career that spanned 32 years, she worked at various positions throughout the office.
“I started as a secretary for chief clerk John Ilalaole back in 1970,” Ah Hee said.
The 5th Circuit was a smaller court system back then, with one Circuit Court judge and one District Court judge. It was one office and the small staff handled everything.
Ah Hee worked in the legal documents section but said the 5th Circuit operated with a small staff that handled just about everything.
She worked under seven judges and retired just before the new courthouse was opened.
“I retired just before the move in 2002,” she said.
A career in the courts means that many of her lifelong friends are fellow staff and attorneys. Ah Hee said it feels good to be back but not with the same responsibilities and demands of her full-time job, she said.
“I enjoyed my work and the people I worked with,” Ah Hee said. “I am getting reacquainted with people that I haven’t seen in years.”
Looking back, Ah Hee said the knowledge she gained from working within the court system has helped her to better understand the law. She describes the judiciary as the equalizer of a criminal justice process that really is about being innocent until proven guilty.
“People get arrested and it’s their due process to come through the court system,” she said. “They look at what evidence the police have against them, and then the court or the jury has to decide on whether there is substantial evidence against the defendant.”
Ah Hee was recruited for the post by Chief Court Administrator David Lam. She works Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Fellow volunteer Francisca Rapozo works Mondays and Tuesdays. Rapozo retired in 2011 after 21 years as a 5th Circuit legal clerk.
Ah Hee was raised in Kaua‘i and graduated from Kapa‘a High School. She went on to graduate from Honolulu Business College.
Ah Hee and her spouse raised two children, and she has three grandsons and one granddaughter. Her spouse passed away eight years ago and a daughter, Holly, passed away of brain cancer in 2008.
During the slow time, she works on Kaua‘i Pop Warner Football Association projects. She is the scholastic coordinator for the association and was selected as the Wescon Female Volunteer of the Year.
