Hawaii’s drawn-out process to settle on its political district boundaries isn’t quite finished. On Friday, the plaintiffs who are suing the state Office of Elections over its 2011 reapportionment plan appealed their case to the U.S. Supreme Court. The appeal was filed just one month after the U.S. District Court in Honolulu rejected the plaintiff’s claim that the plan is unconstitutional. The claim is based on the fact that the plan removed more than 100,000 military personnel, their dependents and out-of-state university students from district populations. Five of the eight plaintiffs, including congressional candidate and state Rep. Mark Takai, are military personnel, dependents or veterans. Attorney Robert Thomas said his clients want to see district lines redrawn to include military personnel stationed in Hawaii.
“That’s the relief that we always sought,” Thomas told Civil Beat Tuesday. “If it is an unconstitutionally drawn district, then the state has the obligation to fix it.”
Anne Lopez, special assistant to Hawaii Attorney General David Louie, said, “The team is reviewing the writ and will make a decision with respect to how to proceed after the review has been completed.”
It’s not clear what the high court will decide; while Kostick v. Nago is not a writ of certiorari case — it is a note of appeal — the court rejects most “writ” cases. But voting rights issues have been prominently featured in the news following the court’s decision in June to effectively strike down the heart of the landmark federal Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Full Article: U.S. Supreme Court May Hear Appeal on Hawaii Reapportionment – Honolulu Civil Beat.
The Voting News
A News Service of the Verified Voting Foundation
