Today’s Honolulu Advertiser posts a story, “Bennett receives support on ceded lands,” about the amicus brief of 29 states supporting Hawaii’s request for US Supreme Court review of the “ceded lands” decision, Office of Hawaiian Affairs v. Housing and Community Dev. Corp. of Hawaii,117 Haw. 174, 177 P.3d 884 (Jan. 31, 2008). More on the case, including links to all briefs in the case (so far) here.
Also on the same topic, Advertiser columnist Jerry Burris writes “Nothing is simple in land case,” which starts off:
Pity the legal eagles working for the state of Hawai’i these days.
On one side, they defend Gov. Linda Lingle’s position that Hawaiians are owed a fair settlement for the use of ceded lands, those 1.2 million to 1.6 million acres of former crown and government lands ceded in trust to the state in 1959.
On the other, they are now fighting to reverse a state Supreme Court decision that put a powerful boost behind efforts to get that “fair settlement” resolved. The Hawai’i court in effect put a gun to the head of negotiators by placing a hold on any transfer or sale of ceded lands until a claims dispute with Hawaiians is resolved.