Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 6, 1 June 2008 — Ceded land case [ARTICLE]

Ceded land case

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs expressed disappointment at the decision by the State of Hawai'i to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court over the lan. 31 Hawai'i Supreme Court ruling that prevents the sale and transfer of ceded lands unūl "umelinquished claims" of Native Hawaiians have been resolved. In 1994, OHA was party to a lawsuit filed to prevent the state from selling about 1,500 acres of ceded lands. In 2002, Circuit Iudge Sabrina MeKenna ruled in favor of the state's authority to sell ceded lands. The Hawai'i Supreme Court

later reversed the lower court's decision, and barred the State from selling ceded lands pending resolution of Native Hawaiian claims to those lands. Board of Trustees Chairperson Haunani Apoliona said, "We at OHA still believe that the Hawai'i Supreme Court ruled correctly that the state should keep the ceded land trust intact until Native Hawaiian claims to these lands are settled. We trust the U.S. Supreme Court will not secondguess the justices of the Hawai'i State Supreme Court."