Justices urged to hear Hawaii land case

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- Twenty-nine states have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a state ruling that prevents Hawaii from transferring lands that belonged to the monarchy.

The Hawaiian state Supreme Court ruled that the 1993 Congressional Apology Resolution prohibits the state from selling, exchanging or transferring any of the more than 1.2 million acres of ceded land until it reaches a settlement with native Hawaiians, Legal Newsline reported Monday.

Urging the high court to hear the case, Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna wrote that the Hawaii Supreme Court "misconstrued" the Apology Resolution, in which Congress apologized for the U.S. government's role in abolishing Hawaii's monarchy.

Ceded lands account for about 29 percent of Hawaii's total land area. The state currently receives millions annually in rents from the lands.

"A question of federal law of the magnitude presented by this case concerning the legal interests of a sovereign state in its state lands merits the attention of this court," McKenna wrote for the attorneys general.

The U.S. Supreme Court could decide by October if it will consider the case and a decision could be made by June 2009, Legal Newsline reported.