Bales v. Green

• Court: Hawaii Supreme Court
• Decided: December 10, 2025
• Docket: SCPW-25-0000384
• Status: Published

Opinion

Electronically Filed Supreme Court SCPW-XX-XXXXXXX 10-DEC-2025 07:51 AM Dkt. 8 ODDP

SCPW-XX-XXXXXXX

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAIʻI ________________________________________________________________

BRIDGIT M.L. BALES; MAUREEN N. RAWLINS; EVA E. NANIʻOLE; JANICE P.K. KAHOʻOHANOHANO; and CAROLINE R.P. MONTAGUE-MULLINS, Petitioners,

vs.

JOSH GREEN, Governor of the State of Hawaiʻi; OFFICE OF ELECTIONS, STATE OF HAWAIʻI; BOARD OF REGISTRATION, ISLAND OF HAWAIʻI; SUSAN L.K. LEE LOY; and JON HENRICKS, in official capacity as County Clerk, County of Hawaiʻi, Respondents. ________________________________________________________________

ORIGINAL PROCEEDING

ORDER DENYING PETITION WITHOUT PREJUDICE (By: McKenna, Acting C.J., Eddins, Ginoza, and Devens, JJ., and Circuit Judge Hamman, assigned by reason of vacancy)

Upon consideration of the petition for writ of mandamus or

extraordinary writ, filed April 29, 2025, and the record,

Petitioners have not shown there are any qualified candidates

who are willing to serve on the Board of Registration for the

island of Hawaiʻi, the Governor is aware of these candidates, and

the Governor has unreasonably refused to appoint a qualified

candidate to the Board. See Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes § 11-41 (2009 & Supp. 2023); Hanabusa v. Lingle, 119 Hawaiʻi 341, 350-52,

198 P.3d 604, 613-15 (2008). An extraordinary writ is

unwarranted at this time. See Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP v.

Kim, 153 Hawaiʻi 307, 319, 537 P.3d 1154, 1166 (2023).

It is ordered that the petition is denied without

prejudice.

DATED: Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, December 10, 2025.

/s/ Sabrina S. McKenna

/s/ Todd W. Eddins

/s/ Lisa M. Ginoza

/s/ Vladimir P. Devens

/s/ Kirstin M. Hamman