Articles

Native Hawaiian self-governance case heats up

December 28, 2015 | By MERIEM L. HUBBARD

Last summer, six Hawaiian residents filed a lawsuit in federal court, challenging the constitutionality of a provision allowing Native Hawaiians to hold an election of delegates, a convention, and a referendum.  This process is designed to further self-determination and self-governance by achieving federal tribal status for Native Hawaiians and se ...

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Race-based Hawaiian election enjoined by Supreme Court

December 02, 2015 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Hot off the press. Last Friday, Justice Kennedy temporarily enjoined a race-based election in Hawaii, pending full review by the Supreme Court.  Today, the full Court enjoined the election in a 5-4 decision. Ballot counting will now stop pending a review on the merits by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. … ...

Articles

Justice Kennedy enjoins ballot counting in race-based election in Hawaii

November 27, 2015 | By JOSHUA THOMPSON

Our friends at the the Grassroots Institute secured a temporary injunction from from Justice Kennedy today, in their case challenging a race-based election in Hawaii.  The case challenges an election process that only allows “native Hawaiians” to cast votes.  “Native Hawaiians” is defined as anyone having native Hawaiian b ...

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Supreme Court denies review of Hawaii's race-based property tax scheme

June 29, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

The U.S. Supreme Court today denied a petition for writ of certiorari in a case concerning Hawaii’s discriminatory race-based property tax scheme that forces non-preferred races to pay a higher tax rate.  The case is called Corboy v. Louie. Here’s the background.  In 1921, when Hawaii was still a U.S. territory and not a state, Con ...

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Corboy v. Louie and Hawaii's race-based property tax scheme

June 05, 2012 | By RALPH KASARDA

Briefing is now complete in the case Corboy v. Louie, a case that will hopefully result in the invalidation of a race-based property tax scheme in Hawaii.  The Supreme Court will decide on June 21st whether to review the Hawaii Supreme Court’s decision that tossed out a challenge to the discriminatory tax law.  PLF’s brief in … ...

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Corboy v. Louie : Supreme Court asks U.S. Solicitor General to file brief

December 12, 2011 | By RALPH KASARDA

On Friday, December 9, 2011, the United States Supreme Court considered whether it should agree to accept certiorari in an important equal protection case from Hawaii.  The issue in Corboy v. Louie, is whether the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment prohibits a state or municipality from creating tax exemptions that are available o ...

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Taxpayers of the wrong race : Corboy v. Louie

October 20, 2011 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

The Pacific Legal Foundation filed an amicus brief this week in the U.S. Supreme Court asking it to review Hawaii’s racially discriminatory tax laws in a case called Corboy v. Louie. … ...

Articles

Blogging from our man in Hawaii . . .

October 15, 2011 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author:  Anne Hayes If you scroll through the staff photos on our website, you will find Robert Thomas as the attorney who heads up PLF's Hawaii Center.  Although Mr. Thomas works with PLF, he hold the title of Director at a private law firm in Hawaii and specializes in land use and appellate law.  He … ...

Articles

Akaka Bill defeated

December 28, 2010 | By PACIFIC LEGAL FOUNDATION

Author: Joshua Thompson     Earlier this month, I reported about the efforts of our friends from the Center for Equal Opportunity to defeat the Akaka Bill.  The Akaka Bill would have attempted to legitimize racial preferences for Hawaiians throughout the United States. However, the Cato Institute is reporting that the ...