In a unanimous opinion, the Hawai‘i Supreme Court ruled on 1/6/14 that indigent parents have a constitutional right to legal counsel in cases where the State seeks to place their children into the foster care system.

Extensive “friend of the court” brief in support of the right to court-appointed counsel was filed by Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice, and American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii Foundation.