In a segment called “Are the Courts Crazy?,” (their title, not ours!), Kelii Akina and I chat about the recent decisions in the Thirty Meter Telescope case, the pig hunting as a traditional and customary native Hawaiian practice case, Hawaii’s new Environmental Court, and the challenge to the Hawaiians-only election
January 2016
ALI-CLE Eminent Domain Conference, Austin, TX – Nearly Here, But There’s Still Time To Register
We’re now only a bit more than two weeks away from the 2016 Eminent Domain and Land Valuation Litigation – Condemnation 101 Conference, which runs from January 28-30, 2016, in Austin, Texas.
As we’ve noted here earlier, we think that this is going to be a fantastic conference that will cover a lot…
Lawsuits Have Consequences: Aloha To Hawaii Sugar
When people think of “Hawaii,” many of them, me included, think of sugar. Those of us of a certain vintage who were raised in the islands, and whose families were tied to the sugar plantations once so ubiquitous (my mother’s family was from the Halawa Plantation and lived on what is now the site of…
Latest On The Hawaiians-Only Oprah Election: Nai Aupuni’s Response To SCOTUS Contempt Motion
Nai Aupuni and the Akamai Foundation, the proponents and organizers of the Native Hawaiians-only “Oprah” election for delegates to a convention to organize a new Hawaiian government, have responded to the election objectors’ SCOTUS motion for contempt.
The Motion for Civil Contempt asked the Supreme Court to slap the State, the Governor, OHA and its …
Exactions, Again
We’ve been tied up with other things the past few days, so haven’t had a chance to do much posting, but here’s something to tide you over, a piece from Florida colleague Jacob Cremer, “Why Exactions Law Should Bring Property Rights Advocates Cheer in the New Year.”
Land use and takings mavens, rejoice. …
Hawaii Water Law, In A Nutshell
If you want a crash course in Hawaii’s unique (some would say weird) water law, you can’t do better than this video from Think Tech Hawaii, an interview with an old water hand, lawyer William Tam.
While he definitely has a perspective (one that, in our view, downplays the role of private…
City’s “Mass Valuation” For Property Taxes
An interesting post at Honolulu journalist Ian Lind’s blog, “City’s explanation of discrepancies in real property tax assessments don’t satisfy,” commenting on a recent piece in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about the City and County of Honolulu’s method for appraising residences for property tax purposes (“Home price, taxable value can diverge“).
If…
City’s Prohibiting Demolition Of Uninhabitable House So City Could Designate It As Historic, Is A Taking
Here’s a good one from the Ohio Court of Appeals to start off your 2016.
In State ex rel Greenacres Foundation v. City of Cincinnati, No. C-150038 (Dec. 30, 2015), the court agreed that the City’s failure to issue a demolition permit for the “Gamble House,” which the City claimed was a…

