Court Allows Challenge Over Native Hawaiians
A federal appeals court ruled that state taxpayers could sue to stop state funding of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in Honolulu for allegedly discriminating against non-Hawaiians.
The three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned a lower court ruling and affirmed the standing of a multiethnic group of taxpayers to challenge the Hawaiians-only programs.
It was the second time this year that the court had ruled against Hawaiian programs. On Aug. 2, a panel ruled 2 to 1 that the exclusive Kamehameha Schools’ policy of giving preference to Native Hawaiians violated federal antidiscrimination laws.
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