Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/237520385/Complaint-Lathers-v-Abercrombie-No-Haw-S-Ct-Aug-21-2014
Timestamp: 2015-08-05 01:14:11
Document Index: 528005121

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 11', '§ 11', '§ 11', '§ 11', '§ 11', '§ 11']

P. 1Complaint, Lathers v. Abercrombie, No. ____ (Haw. S. Ct. Aug. 21, 2014)Complaint, Lathers v. Abercrombie, No. ____ (Haw. S. Ct. Aug. 21, 2014)Ratings: (0)|Views: 1,547|Likes: 0Published by robert_thomas_5Complaint, Lathers v. Abercrombie, No. ____ (Haw. S. Ct. Aug. 21, 2014)Complaint, Lathers v. Abercrombie, No. ____ (Haw. S. Ct. Aug. 21, 2014)More info:Categories:Types, Business/Law, Court FilingsPublished by: robert_thomas_5 on Aug 22, 2014Copyright:Traditional Copyright: All rights reservedAvailability:Read on Scribd mobile: iPhone, iPad and Android.download as PDF, TXT or read online from ScribdFlag for inappropriate content|Add to collectionSee moreSee lesshttps://www.scribd.com/doc/237520385/Complaint-Lathers-v-Abercrombie-No-Haw-S-Ct-Aug-21-201411/10/2014pdftextoriginal No.____________ IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF HAWAI‘I
FRANCES LATHERS; MERRILL LATHERS; CASSANDRA WYLIE; BRAD L. COFFEL; KATHLEEN WALKER; ANDREW LEO; and AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF HAWAI‘I, Plaintiffs, v. NEIL ABERCROMBIE, in his official capacity as the Governor of the State of Hawai‘i; DAVID M. LOUIE, in his official capacity as the Attorney General of the State of Hawai‘i; SCOTT NAGO, in his official capacity as Chief Election Officer for the State of Hawai‘i; and STEWART MAEDA, County Clerk, Office of Elections, County of Hawai‘i, Defendants. ORIGINAL PROCEEDING COMPLAINT; SUMMONS AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION OF HAWAI‘I FOUNDATION LOIS K. PERRIN #8065 DANIEL M. GLUCK #7959 P.O. Box 3410 Honolulu, Hawai‘i 96801 Telephone: (808) 522-5908 Facsimile: (808) 522-5909 E-mail: dgluck@acluhawaii.org Attorneys for Plaintiffs Electronically FiledSupreme CourtSCOT-14-000106921-AUG-201403:43 PM
This is an action for declaratory and injunctive relief to require the Defendants to allow the individual Plaintiffs (and any other registered voters in in Hawai‘i County affected by Hurricane/Tropical Strom Iselle) the opportunity to exercise their fundamental right to vote in the 2014 primary election on or before September 20, 2014.
In the wake of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Iselle, Defendants failed to take steps necessary to allow the individual Plaintiffs the opportunity to exercise their right to vote as guaranteed by article I, section 8 of the Hawai‘i Constitution and the first and fourteenth amendments to the United States Constitution. Pursuant to Hawai‘i Revised Statutes (“HRS”) § 11-92.3, the Legislature delegated authority to the Chief Elections Officer to determine whether, in the event of a natural disaster, to delay a vote (or to allow voters another opportunity to cast their ballots). Defendants exercised this discretion in such a way as to deny the individual Plaintiffs (and, on information and belief, many other registered voters 1
Article II, section 10 of the Hawai‘i Constitution requires that all primary elections for the State be conducted 45 days prior to the general election. As the general election is scheduled for November 4, 2014, the last day for any primary (or special election affecting the results) must be conducted and concluded by September 20, 2014. Anticipating that the Court will require an expedited briefing schedule, Plaintiffs intend to file their Opening Brief no later than Tuesday, August 26, unless the Court orders otherwise. Plaintiffs’ counsel will attempt to serve the Complaint and Summons on all Defendants on Friday, August 22, and will also send courtesy copies of all pleadings to the Department of the Attorney General and the Hawai‘i County Office of the Corporation Counsel via e-mail as soon as practicable after filing. 3 in at least Precincts 04-03 and 04-04) the opportunity to vote. Defendants’ exercise of discretion was unreasonable and unlawful under any standard of review. 3.
The Legislature, however, created the conditions that allowed these constitutional violations to take place: the Legislature failed to fulfill its obligations under article II, section 4 of the Hawai‘i Constitution, which requires that “The Legislature . . . shall prescribe the method of voting at all elections.” By vesting unfettered discretion in the Chief Elections Officer as to whether and when to alter voting in the event of a natural disaster (via HRS § 11-92.3), the Legislature has abdicated its constitutional responsibilities. Plaintiffs seek a declaration that HRS § 11-92.3 is unconstitutional, insofar as the Legislature permits
– but does not require
– the Chief Elections Officer to make any accommodations in the event of a natural disaster. 4.
To be clear, the instant case is not a typical election contest as contemplated by HRS §§ 11-172 or 11-173.5, in which a candidate, a political party, or a group of thirty voters seeks to have the Court declare a different result of the election. To that end, Plaintiffs need not comply with the standards of HRS §§ 11-172 and 11-173.5. As this Court has held, “Because the basis for jurisdiction over this manner of election challenge is not HRS § 11-172, the burden of proof is different; the complaint does not need to allege that different action by Activity (1)FiltersAdd to collectionReviewAdd NoteLikeShowingAllMost RecentReviewsAll NotesLikesYou've already reviewed this. Edit your review.Rating 0/5Post notePost reviewPost replyPost note and like1 hundred readsLoad more