First Amendment

...Friday July 10, 2020 Adjournment Sine Die....

...The intense secrecy that has come to characterize the Honolulu Police Department....

...The legislature reconvened on June 22, 2020 and will end on July 10, 2020. Here's a snapshot of some of the things that happened this week....

...Given the dramatic drop in advertising revenue, Star-Advertiser journalists are ready to do their part to keep the newspaper solvent....

...anonymous, threatening messages, disturbing deliveries – including a box of live cockroaches, a funeral wreath and a bloody pig mask – and conducting covert surveillance of the victims....

...29 staff members at the Star-Advertiser, the largest newspaper in the state, are losing their jobs at the end of the month....

"...Hundreds of the marchers today in the Black Lives Matter rally in Honolulu chose to leave their signs at the doorstep of the Hawaii Republican Party...."

...Pine today addressed rumors that professional agitators have arrived in the islands to stir up trouble at peaceful protests being staged to honor George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement....

...Chief Justice John Roberts wrote a short opinion to express his agreement with (and to explain) the denial of the church’s request....

...“This was a publicity stunt through and through, and this filing makes that clear,” Nick Merrill, a spokesman for Clinton, told CNN Wednesday....

..."This time of emergency does not justify government secrecy. The Resort is certainly not entitled to have their permits fast-tracked behind closed doors while public gatherings are banned and also excluding the press."....

...Mayor Caldwell provides guidelines for resuming in-person spiritual services....

...Caldwell's 11th order on the COVID virus authorizes drive-in church services on Oahu starting May 15th....

...starting Friday, May 15, outdoor sport fields and courts will be open for one-on-one sports or exercise with limitations, as well as drive-in services (e.g., spiritual/religious services) that follow specific guidelines....

... More than 100 gathered at the state Capitol on Friday to protest emergency stay-at-home orders ....

...The memorandum titled “Balancing Public Safety with the Preservation of Civil Rights” asks U.S. attorneys to be on the “lookout” for abuses of powers from government officials....

...Six police cars swoop in on Honolulu Mayoral candidate Choon James, Monday, April 27, 2020, as she attempts to video the destruction of Monkeypod trees being cut down during repaving of the Ala Moana/Magic Island parking lot....

...Was it really necessary to suspend those laws to help fight the coronavirus? What can be done to restore government transparency and accountability in Hawaii?....

"...No amount of batteries are going to save us, warns director Jeff Gibbs...."

...April 11, 2020,  Maui Mayor Michael Victorino rescinds exemption for King’s Cathedral’s drive-thru Easter service....

...Jeff Portnoy, a First Amendment attorney who frequently represents the media, calls Governor Ige's recent Coronovirus proclamations “over-broad,” and “kind of like martial law.”....

...if you’ve been wondering when the restrictions will end, you’re not alone....

...Join us next Tuesday, April 14, 2020, at 12 noon Hawaii Time for a free webinar sponsored by the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, "Safety vs. Freedom: Are There Limits to Lockdowns?"....

"...Petitioners and Opposing Intervenors claim broadly that their beliefs should give them veto power over any proposes land use on Mauna Kea. The law does not support that view...."

...Media personnel are amongst the exempted 'Essential Businesses'....

...Legislative Crossing: Bills Start Over Again in the Opposite Chamber....

...hearing and floor session videos have been and continue to be archived, unedited....

...some of the bills we have been tracking are dead....

...1st Decking: One Week Away--Good and Bad Bills on the Move....

...Assisted Suicide: 3 modified safeguards now only 2....

...establishing a remote legislative access program that would allow individuals to present oral testimony at legislative committee hearings....

...Safe Haven for Newborns Passes First Committee....

...January 23rd - Bill Introduction Cutoff Last day for a bill to be filed with the House or Senate Clerk....

...Hawaii Family Advocates intends to monitor the Hawaii Legislature and testify and otherwise weigh in on bills....

...OIP deconstructs OHA insiders’ latest gambit in their flagging attempt to silence dissident Trustee Keli’i Akina....

"...to reflect on how we have responded as a community to challenging and sometimes polarizing issues, including but not limited to TMT...."

...Responding to questions about OHA Trustee Chair Colette Machado’s imaginary “OIP Opinion”....

...On November 12, the editors of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser urged OHA to scrap its 'one voice’ policy....

...the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld an injunction barring enforcement of rules that let employers opt out of covering birth control on religious and moral grounds....

“In the future, everybody will be Emmanuel Goldstein for 2 minutes.” – Andy Orwell....

...our commitment is to protect our learning environment from approaches that may inappropriately influence or coerce students to a particular political viewpoint....

...Nearly a year after Rich’s death, in May 2017, Fox News published a story written by co-defendant and reporter Malia Zimmerman, which included the now-debunked claim that investigators had evidence showing Rich leaked the emails in the midst of the 2016 presidential election campaign....

...The workshop/presentation "Your Voice!" is about an hour in length and covers the Legislature and how to effectively participate in the legislative process....

...Non-profit organizations wishing to create a display on the grounds of the Frank F. Fasi Civic Center during the annual Honolulu City Lights exhibition must submit applications....

...Communicating public policy is challenging when you want to raise awareness on an idea without having people read a 20-page study.... 

"...Officially, OHA takes no position on the site or construction of the TMT.  Accordingly, OHA should affirm the rights of all Hawaiians to express themselves, both those who oppose the TMT and those who support it...." 

...On June 28th, 2019 in the immediate hours following the first Democratic Presidential debate, millions of Americans were searching online for information about Tulsi Gabbard.  In fact, according to multiple news reports, Tulsi was the most searched candidate on Google.  Then, without any explanation, Google suspended Tulsi’s Google Ads account....

"...corralling of protesters is simply unconstitutional...."

... Can the government mandate that groups or individuals speak a message with which they fundamentally disagree? ....

...If an OHA Trustee cannot publicly disagree with Board decisions, then it would hinder any Trustee from functioning as a watchdog. That would be a terrible loss to beneficiaries....