A judge dropped an arrest warrant Thursday for the University of Hawaii professor Samuel Kaleikoa Kaeo who refused to respond in court to English and spoke Hawaiian instead. The state Judiciary announced Friday it would attempt provide interpreters when parties choose to speak Hawaiian in court. -- Maui Police Department photo

The state Judiciary said Friday that it will provide qualified Hawaiian language interpreters “to the extent reasonably possible” when parties in court proceedings choose to speak in Hawaiian.

The Judiciary announced the policy regarding Hawaiian language interpreters two days after a bench warrant was issued for a Haleakala telescope protester who spoke only in Hawaiian during a Wailuku District Court proceeding.

After Samuel Kaleikoa Kaeo responded only in Hawaiian when asked to identify himself in court Wednesday, Judge Blaine Kobayashi said he couldn’t determine that the defendant in court was Kaeo and issued a $750 bench warrant for his arrest.

The warrant was recalled Thursday, and another hearing was scheduled Feb. 21 on the use of a Hawaiian language interpreter in Kaeo’s case.

Kaeo, 51, of Kula has pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct, obstructing a highway and refusing to comply with any police officer’s order.

He was among six people arrested Aug. 2 when protesters gathered at Kula Highway and Old Haleakala Highway to confront a large vehicle convoy carrying equipment for construction of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope at the Haleakala summit.

According to a news release Friday afternoon announcing the Hawaiian language interpreter policy: “The Judiciary will provide or permit qualified Hawaiian language interpreters to the extent reasonably possible when parties in courtroom proceedings choose to express themselves through the Hawaiian language.”

The news release said the Judiciary would develop implementation procedures for the policy and would welcome community input. Comments can be sent to pao@courts.hawaii.gov.

People interested in serving as court interpreters in any language can call the Office on Equality and Access to the Courts at (808) 539-4860. A basic orientation workshop for court interpreters is scheduled Feb. 28 to March 1 on Maui.