Judge dismisses 3 plaintiffs, gives indications on lawsuit
Pacific Business
News reports
that "U.S.
District Judge Susan Oki Mollway on Monday dismissed three plaintiffs in a
federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Office of Hawaiian
Affairs. The plaintiffs -- Evelyn C. Arakaki, Donna Malia Scaff and Sandra
Puanani Burgess -- were dismissed on the grounds they are part-Hawaiian and
therefore have no claims to injury, bringing the list of plaintiffs in the suit
to 11."The
Advertiser
reports:
"Attorneys on both sides of the
controversial Arakaki federal
lawsuit said they saw indications yesterday that the judge was
attentive to arguments that Hawaiians have moved steps closer toward achieving
status as a political class, even though a bill to clearly grant them that
status is stalled in the U.S. Senate.
If U.S. District Judge Susan Oki Mollway
does favor those arguments in her written ruling due later this week, it could
shut down the lawsuit's remaining challenge against programs that benefit only
Hawaiians."The
Star-Bulletin
also reports
on the hearing.
Posted: Mon - January 12, 2004 at 01:56 AM