It's been a little more than a week since a petition was circulated to put pressure on state lawmakers to investigate one of their own. It stems from a public corruption case that sent two lawmakers to jail: Sen. J. Kalani English and Rep. Ty Cullen.
The Conversation spoke to the man behind the petition, Alexander “Ali” Silvert. Silvert is a retired federal public defender who played a key part in a previous public corruption case that sent a former Honolulu police chief, Louis Kealoha, and his city deputy prosecutor wife, Katherine, to prison.
So far, close to 500 people have signed the petition. He hopes to garner thousands before he presents it to state lawmakers next month.
This story aired on The Conversation on Nov. 5, 2025. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
