Opinion ID: 2515085
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Legislative Enactments

Text: This court has long held that: (1) legislative enactments are presumptively constitutional; (2) a party challenging a statutory scheme has the burden of showing unconstitutionality beyond a reasonable doubt; and (3) the constitutional defect must be clear, manifest, and unmistakable. Pray v. Judicial Selection Comm'n, 75 Haw. 333, 340, 861 P.2d 723, 727 (1993) (internal quotation marks, citations, and brackets omitted) (quoting Sifagaloa v. Bd. of Trustees of the Employees' Ret. Sys., 74 Haw. 181, 191, 840 P.2d 367, 371 (1992)). However, this court has recognized that judicial review of legislative enactments is appropriate, stating that the legislature's findings are entitled to substantial deference; however, [A]merican legislatures must adhere to the provisions of a written constitution.... Our ultimate authority is the Constitution; and the courts, not the legislature, are the ultimate interpreters of the Constitution. It is the concept of the Constitution as law, and the judiciary as the institution with responsibility to interpret the law, which remains the cornerstone of judicial review today. Convention Ctr. Authority v. Anzai, 78 Hawai'i 157, 164, 890 P.2d 1197, 1204 (1995) (quoting State v. Nakata, 76 Hawai'i 360, 370, 878 P.2d 699, 709 (1994)).