HRS §803-32
When a search warrant can be issued
A judge can issue a search warrant only for certain reasons, unless another law says otherwise. These reasons include finding stolen goods, illegal items, forged documents, weapons for rebellion, or evidence of a crime. The judge has some freedom to decide, but the warrant must fit one of these purposes.
courts
The statute, as written — Purposes
The power of granting this writ is one in the exercise of which much is necessarily left to the discretion of the magistrate, but, except in cases where this power is elsewhere specially granted by statute, search warrants can be granted only for the following purposes: (1) To seize any article or thing the possession of which is prohibited by law; (2) To discover property taken by theft or under false pretenses, or found and fraudulently appropriated; (3) To seize forged instruments in writing, or counterfeit coin intended to be passed, or the instruments or materials prepared for making them; (4) To seize arms or munitions prepared for the purpose of insurrection or riot; (5) To discover articles necessary to be produced as evidence or otherwise on the trial of any one accused of a criminal offense. [PC 1869, c 48, §3; am L 1876, c 52, §1; RL 1925, §3960; am L Sp 1933, c 16, §1; RL 1935, §5412; RL 1945, §10717; RL 1955, §255-17; HRS §708-32; ren L 1972, c 9, pt of §1]
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.