Matsukawa v. State of Hawaii 2011 Reapportionment Commission
This text of Matsukawa v. State of Hawaii 2011 Reapportionment Commission (Matsukawa v. State of Hawaii 2011 Reapportionment Commission) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Opinion
Electronically Filed Supreme Court SCPW-11-0000741 04-JAN-2012 03:05 PM
NO. SCPW-11-0000741
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAI#I
MICHAEL J. MATSUKAWA, Petitioner,
vs.
STATE OF HAWAI#I 2011 REAPPORTIONMENT COMMISSION; and SCOTT NAGO, CHIEF ELECTION OFFICER, STATE OF HAWAI#I, Respondents.
ORIGINAL PROCEEDING
ORDER GRANTING PETITION FOR WRIT OF MANDAMUS AND JUDICIAL REVIEW (By: Recktenwald, C.J., Nakayama, Acoba, Duffy, and McKenna, JJ.)
Upon consideration of the petition for a writ of
mandamus and judicial review filed by petitioner Michael J.
Matsukawa, the answer by respondents 2011 State of Hawai#i
Reapportionment Commission and the Chief Election Officer, and
oral argument, we conclude that the 2011 Final Reapportionment
Plan is constitutionally invalid. The Hawai#i Constitution,
article IV, section 4, expressly mandates that only permanent
residents be counted in the population base for the purpose of
reapportionment. The 2011 Final Reapportionment Plan disregards
this constitutional mandate by including non-permanent residents in the population base that the Reapportionment Commission used
to allocate the members of the state legislature among the basic
island units. Therefore, pursuant to our power under the Hawai#i
Constitution, article IV, section 10, to correct any error in a
reapportionment plan,
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the petition for a writ of
mandamus and judicial review is granted. The 2011 Final
Reapportionment Plan for the state legislature is hereby
invalidated. The 2011 State of Hawai#i Reapportionment
Commission shall prepare and file a new reapportionment plan
that: (1) allocates the members of the state legislature among
the basic island units by using a permanent resident population
base, and then (2) apportions the members among the districts
therein as provided by article IV, section 6. The Chief Election
Officer shall rescind the publication of the 2011 Final
Reapportionment Plan for the state legislature. An opinion will
follow.
DATED: Honolulu, Hawai#i, January 4, 2012.
/s/ Mark E. Recktenwald
/s/ Paula A. Nakayama
/s/ Simeon R. Acoba, Jr.
/s/ James E. Duffy, Jr.
/s/ Sabrina S. McKenna
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