The U.S. Bankruptcy Court is a unit of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii. The Bankruptcy Court and the District Court are both located in Honolulu but at separate locations. In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 157(a), the District Court has referred all cases under Title 11 (the Bankruptcy Code) or arising in or related to a case under Title 11 to the bankruptcy judges of this district.
The District of Hawaii is part of the Ninth Circuit, which encompasses the federal courts of nine states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the Territory of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The Ninth Circuit is the largest of the twelve federal circuits in size, population, number of federal judges, and volume of litigation. It includes fifteen federal district courts, thirteen bankruptcy courts, and a court of appeals.
Within the Ninth Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals appoints bankruptcy judges to renewable 14-year terms. Judge Neil J. Verbrugge was appointed chief bankruptcy judge for the District of Hawaii effective September 1, 2026 and oversees all bankruptcy matters. Judge Robert J. Faris (retired) also maintains a chambers at the bankruptcy court and hears cases as a recall judge. Judge Faris was chief bankruptcy judge for 24 years and served a 10-year term on the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the Ninth Circuit.