State Ex Rel. Marsland v. Ames

The State petitions this court for a writ of mandamus directing Judge Ames to vacate two virtually identical pretrial discovery orders issued in State v. Mafi, wherein Defendant Mafi is charged, inter alia, with Driving Under the Influence of Intoxicating Liquor (DUI), pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes § 291-4. The government alleges “Judge Ames clearly abused his judicial discretion and exceeded his authority” under Rule 16(d) of the Hawaii Rules of Penal Procedure by permitting Mafi to discover 41 of 45 items he sought by means of a Written Request for Disclosure served on the State and a…