First Amendment

... Act 11 unconstitutionally silences nonprofit organizations on ballot initiatives and other election-related topics in the name of campaign finance reform ....

"...It was February 2023, and Professor Kenneth Lawson had something to say...."

"Trustee conduct matters. When interactions become adversarial, dismissive, degrading or demeaning, it weakens the collective ability of the Board...."

“If you’re an astronomer, for example, think about where your telescope is, she says. ‘Are you part of that community? Is that telescope put there with knowledge of the people who call that place their land?’” 

... A new Hawaii law intended to curtail political spending by corporations and other wealthy entities won’t achieve its goal and will ultimately suppress the right to free speech of even the people who supported it ....

...the policy also explicitly preserves the right of students, faculty and staff to spontaneously assemble and engage in expressive activity in generally accessible OUTDOOR areas without prior approval....

... Grassroot Institute is celebrating 25 years of standing up for the principles of individual liberty, economic freedom and limited, accountable government ....

...OHA toys with another shiny object as it crosses Trustees' field of vision....

I trust that the courts will agree with us and act quickly to quash this audacious bid to suppress our right to speak out on matters concerning the future of Hawaii.

... Free Expression in a Climate of Self-Censorship: A National Survey of American Law Faculty ....

"...scholars standing up for scholarly rigor and not letting political goals corrupt the research...."

... The Institute for Free Speech has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Grassroot Institute to challenge Act 11, which stands to block the nonprofit’s civic advocacy efforts ....

... the House Advisory Committee on Rules met in secret and made decisions ....

... His appointment will go before the UH Board of Regents for final approval on Thursday, June 4 ....

... the bill would weaken states’ ability to protect children online while insulating Big Tech from accountability ....

... Hawaii legal trends increasingly prioritize adult desires over children’s rights ....

... TikTok wants Hawaii’s state lawsuit accusing TikTok of deliberately addicting children dismissed, or at least moved to federal court ....

...Following court order blocking Hawaii law in favor of The Babylon Bee, Hawaii resident, state officials agree to pay attorneys’ fees, conclude case....

... CLUE: Lawsuit next ....

...Is it possible to curb corporate influence without jeopardizing fundamental rights?....

... HB1961 & HB1875 Awaiting Governor Action ....

...Some labor groups also opposed the measure, arguing it could restrict unions’ political activity, though a proposed union carve-out was rejected in conference....

... establishing some of the nation’s first consumer protections and transparency requirements for conversational artificial intelligence services, particularly for minors and individuals seeking mental health or crisis support ....

...The legislative session ends Friday, with a the corporate spending bill still hanging in the balance....

... Both HB1961 and HB1875 have effectively bypassed conference committee and are now on the Governor's desk ....

...House has voted to accept the Senate versions of both HB1875 juvenile sex change, and HB1961 protest outside Planned Parenthood thus they are now both enrolled directly to the Governor....

“One has to belong to the intelligentsia to believe things like that: no ordinary man could be such a fool.” – George Orwell

... HB1875 juvenile sex change passes Senate 21-4 ....

... HB1875: Juvenile sex change passes Senate JDC ....

... This Week at the Capitol: Resolutions, Resolutions, Resolutions ....

... The decision is now on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ....

... too Trumpy for Hawaii roads? ....

... Oregon enacted virtually identical legislation along party lines in 2025, and the Freedom Foundation filed a federal First Amendment lawsuit challenging it. ... 

... the law only prohibited counseling conversations in one direction. It allowed conversations that push young people toward a gender identity different from their sex ....

... The bill now moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee ....

...Park permanently enjoined a Hawaii law criminalizing the reckless distribution of “materially deceptive media” that “risk[s] ... harming the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election or changing the voting behavior of voters in an election.”...

... The bills we have been tracking have passed THIRD Reading and have now crossed over to the opposite chamber ....

... testifiers raised concerns about parental rights, medical accountability, and the breadth of the legal shield being created ....

... Noon at University of Hawaii at Manoa – Campus Center Courtyard ...

... requires access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity, sets new investigation rules, mandates employee reporting, and increases the potential for lawsuits ....

...Hawaii DoE compels students to use certain pronouns when the students address their self-described “transgender” peers....

... Fighting foreign psychological operations from our very own shores ....

... Babylon Bee, Hawaii resident prevail against state law banning political memes ....

... The Babylon Bee went to court to challenge a Hawaii law banning “deceptive media” during the 10 months before an election ....

... Grassroot, Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters, and city Managing Director Mike Formby all submitted proposals regarding fiscal notes ....

... Gov. Josh Green signed S2687 into law in July 2024. It prohibits the distribution of “materially deceptive media” that portrays politicians in a way that risks harming “the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate” or simply risks “changing … voting behavior.” ....

"...we publish what we receive and attempt to balance anti- and pro-Trump submissions — to the point of declining many against, and accepting nearly all in favor...."

... The claims are similar to ones raised by more than a dozen other states ....

... an 8th-grade history teacher, taught a federally mandated lesson about the Constitution for Constitution Day ....

"...The number of Hawai‘i newspapers in circulation was as high as 52 in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but this number dropped to just 13 in 2024...."