Can the lawsuit filed by the President of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii stop the Na‘i Aupuni process?
From Nai Aupuni FAQ Page
Grassroot Institute of Hawaii is a private organization that opposes Native Hawaiian rights and our Native Hawaiian community’s current efforts to reorganize our government. In an attempt to prevent our progress, Grassroot’s President and others recently filed a lawsuit against the State of Hawaii, Governor Ige, OHA trustees, Native Hawaiian Roll Commissioners, Akamai Foundation and Na‘i Aupuni claiming that the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission’s registration process violates equal protection and voter rights laws that apply to government agencies. The lawsuit is trying to stop any further actions based on the Roll, including the Na‘i Aupuni process.
We strongly believe Grassroot will not succeed in stopping Na‘i Aupuni’s legitimate and lawful process. The laws Grassroot relies on do not apply to Na‘i Aupuni because Na‘i Aupuni is not a state agency, it is not controlled by any state agency, and it is not holding a state election. Also, the Native Hawaiian Roll Commission’s enrollment process satisfies concerns raised in Rice v. Cayetano (2000) and is based on valid and constitutional state and federal laws, including Act 195, the Apology Resolution, and hundreds of other state and federal acts affirming that Native Hawaiians have a special political and legal status under state and federal law. Although this reasoning explains the defects in the lawsuit because it alleged violations of federal law and was filed in federal court, the delegates’ options at the ‘Aha will not be limited to federal recognition.
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Full Text of Lawsuit: Lawsuit Challenges Kanaiolowalu, Na'i Aupuni, OHA
Nai Aupuni ‘Independence’ Claim Debunked Here:
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