Soules v. Kauaians for Nukolii Campaign Committee

623 F. Supp. 657, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21664
CourtDistrict Court, D. Hawaii
DecidedMarch 18, 1985
DocketCiv. No. 84-0297
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 623 F. Supp. 657 (Soules v. Kauaians for Nukolii Campaign Committee) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Hawaii primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Soules v. Kauaians for Nukolii Campaign Committee, 623 F. Supp. 657, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21664 (D. Haw. 1985).

Opinion

ORDER GRANTING IN PART MOTIONS TO STRIKE AND GRANTING INTERVENOR’S AND DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

FONG, Chief Judge.

BACKGROUND

This is an action brought in the federal court to challenge a special initiative election held in the County of Kauai on February 4, 1984.

Plaintiffs have sought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 the following relief for the alleged violations of their equal protection, due process, and First Amendment rights: (1) a declaratory judgment pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2201; (2) an order invalidating the election or the results of the special election; (3) general and special damages to plaintiffs for expenditures in being forced to campaign in the allegedly unconstitutional and illegal election; and (4) costs and attorney’s fees.

On July 10, 1984, two motions came on for hearing before this court: First, plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to enjoin defendants and all persons in active concert with them from treating as valid, from effectuating or certifying or allowing action to be taken based upon the validity of the results of the election. Second, defendants and intervenor sought summary judgment against the plaintiffs on the grounds of res judicata and laches.

The court denied the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction. The court granted defendants’ motion for summary judgment against plaintiffs on their claim to invalidate the election, on the grounds that the doctrine of laches barred such equitable relief. The court denied defendants’ motion for summary judgment against plaintiffs on their claims for declaratory relief and damages, on the grounds that such relief was unavailable in the limited action before the Hawaii Supreme Court, and the doctrine of res judicata does not bar plaintiffs’ claims.

On December 3, 1984, the court filed its “Order Granting in Part and Denying in Part Intervenor’s and Defendants’ Motion for Summary Judgment and Denying Plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction,” which included extensive Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law. The court incorporates into its present order all such findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The court also hereby amends its order of December 3,1984, to state that plaintiffs claim “that the defendants’ conduct violated plaintiffs’ civil rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 (rather than under 28 U.S.C. § 1983).”

[660]*660The present set of motions came on for hearing before this court on December 17, 1984. Anita Arriola appeared on behalf of plaintiffs. Edward A. Jaffe, Milton M. Yasunaga, and Walton D.Y. Hong appeared on behalf of intervenor Graham Beach Partners. Yoshio Shigezawa appeared on behalf of Kauaians for Nukolii Campaign Committee (“Kauaians for Nukolii”). Warren C.R. Perry appeared on behalf of Jerome Y.K. Hew, the County of Kauai, and the Kauai County Council (“County Council”).

The intervenor and defendants (sometimes collectively referred to as “defendants”) have filed the following motions:

First, defendants now move to strike portions of plaintiffs’ affidavits, on the grounds that they do not satisfy the requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. Rule 56(e).

Second, defendants move for summary judgment against plaintiffs on the remainder of plaintiffs’ claims. Defendants argue that there are no genuine issues of material fact and that they are entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Finally, the County defendants (Jerome Y.K. Hew, the County of Kauai, and the Kauai County Council) additionally argue that their respective immunities entitle them to summary judgment as a matter of law.

DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO STRIKE

Defendants object to extensive portions of the affidavits offered by plaintiffs in support of their opposition memorandum, on the ground that the affidavits do not comply with the requirements of Fed.R. Civ.P. 56(e), which states that the affidavits “shall be based on personal knowledge, shall set forth such facts as would be admissible in evidence, and shall show affirmatively that the affiant is competent to testify to the matters stated therein.”

Defendants argue that portions of the affidavits are improper, because they consist of hearsay, conclusions of law, assertions, arguments, or unsupported speculation; and because they are made upon belief, information, and understanding, rather than personal knowledge.

The court finds defendants’ motions to be well taken, and the court will disregard those portions of the affidavits which the court finds to be in noncompliance with the requirements of Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(e).

Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that defendants’ Motions to Strike Plaintiffs’ Affidavits be, and' the same are, granted in part and denied in part.

DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

I. Void for Vagueness Challenge to § 5.07(C)

Plaintiffs claim that Article V, § 5.07(C) of the Kauai County Charter is “void for vagueness” and violates plaintiffs’ rights to due process, to freedom of expression, and to vote on the following grounds: (1) its commands do not clearly charge the persons responsible for its administration; (2) it infringes upon plaintiffs’ rights to freedom of expression and to vote, by making such rights contingent upon the “totally uncontrolled will” and the “undefined and standardless discretion” of local government officials; and (3) it constitutes an unconstitutional delegation of legislative authority to the Kauai County Council. In all three claims, plaintiffs attack § 5.07(C) of the County Charter as unconstitutional on its face, because it does not provide sufficient standards for special elections.

Defendants now move for summary judgment, on the grounds that the “void for vagueness” and “improper delegation of legislative authority” doctrines do not apply to § 5.07(C), because it is a constitutional provision that delegates a legislative function to a legislative body.

Under the “void for vagueness” doctrine, “[a] statute is fatally vague only when it exposes a potential actor to some risk or detriment without giving him fair warning of the nature of the proscribed conduct (emphasis added).” Rowan v. United States Post Office Department, 397 U.S. 728, 740, 90 S.Ct. 1484, 1492, 25 L.Ed.2d [661]*661736 (1970). Further, although the doctrine may be applicable to civil and criminal actions, it is applicable only where “the exaction of obedience to a rule or standard ... was so vague and indefinite as really to be no rule or standard at all ... In short, the exaction must strip a participant of his rights (emphasis added).” Boutilier v. Immigration and Naturalization Service, 387 U.S. 118, 123, 87 S.Ct. 1563, 1566, 18 L.Ed.2d 661 (1967).

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Related

Haskie v. Navajo Board of Election Supervisors
6 Navajo Rptr. 336 (Navajo Nation Supreme Court, 1991)
Soules v. Kauaians for Nukolii Campaign Committee
849 F.2d 1176 (Ninth Circuit, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
623 F. Supp. 657, 1985 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 21664, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/soules-v-kauaians-for-nukolii-campaign-committee-hid-1985.