(a) Civil docket. The clerk shall keep a book known as "civil docket" of such form and style as may be prescribed by the supreme court, and shall enter therein each civil action to which these rules are made applicable. Actions shall be assigned consecutive file numbers. The file number of each action shall be noted on the folio of the docket whereon the first entry of the action is made. All papers filed with the clerk, all process issued and returns made thereon, all appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments shall be noted chronologically in the civil docket on the folio assigned to the action and shall be marked with its file number. These notations shall be brief but shall show the nature of each paper filed or writ issued and the substance of each order or judgment of the court and of the returns showing execution of process. The notation of an order or judgment shall show the date the notation is made. When in an action trial by jury has been properly demanded or ordered the clerk shall enter the word "jury" on the folio assigned to that action.
Rule 79.Books and Records Kept by the Clerk and Entries Therein.
Last verified July 3, 2026
In one sentenceRule 79 requires the clerk to keep a civil docket, a record of judgments and orders, indices and calendars, and any other records the supreme court requires.
Full Text of Rule 79
(b) Civil judgments and orders. The clerk shall keep, in such form and manner as the supreme court may prescribe, a correct copy of every final judgment or appealable order, or order affecting title to or lien upon real or personal property, and any other order which the court may direct to be kept.
(c) Indices; calendars. Suitable indices of the civil docket and of every civil judgment and order referred to in subdivision (b) of this rule shall be kept by the clerk under the direction of the court. There shall be prepared under the direction of the court calendars of all actions ready for trial, which shall distinguish "jury actions" from "court actions".
(d) Other books and records of the clerk. The clerk shall also keep such other books and records as may be required from time to time by the supreme court.
Plain-English Summary
The clerk keeps a civil docket, assigning each action a consecutive file number and chronologically noting every paper filed, every process issued and its return, every appearance, and every order, verdict, or judgment, each dated and marked with its file number; if a jury trial has been properly demanded or ordered, the clerk notes "jury" on the action's docket folio. Separately, the clerk keeps a correct copy of every final judgment, appealable order, and any order affecting title to or a lien on real or personal property, along with any other order the court directs be kept.
The clerk also maintains suitable indices of the civil docket and of these judgments and orders, along with calendars of actions ready for trial that distinguish jury actions from court actions, plus whatever other books and records the supreme court requires from time to time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the clerk record in the civil docket?
Every action, assigned a file number, with a chronological, dated record of papers filed, process issued and returned, appearances, orders, verdicts, and judgments.
Does the docket distinguish jury cases from bench trials?
Yes. Rule 79(a) requires the clerk to note "jury" on the docket folio when a jury trial has been properly demanded or ordered, and Rule 79(c) requires trial calendars to distinguish jury actions from court actions.
Source & verification. The rule text and History are reproduced verbatim from the
official Hawaii Rules of Civil Procedure (Haw. R. Civ. P. 79). Prescribed by the Supreme Court of Hawaii (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 602-11; Haw. Const. art. VI, § 7). The plain-English summary is original and written by us. Last verified July 3, 2026. ·
Official source
Also known as: civil docketclerk's recordstrial calendar jury actions