The Maui GMO Moratorium has an important court hearing coming up this Tuesday, March 10^th at 9am in the Federal Court in Honolulu. This time we will have a new judge, the Chief District Court Judge Susan Oki Mollway, a woman this time. She will be deciding Shaka’s petition for the Monsanto case to be returned from Federal Court into State Court, where it rightfully belongs. She will also be ruling on Monsanto’s Motion to Dismiss our new law. So this is a very important hearing.

To support this court hearing, SHAKA is calling for a Prayer Ceremony to be held on the morning of the hearing, this Tuesday, March 10^th at 7:30am sharp in Maui’s Iao Valley. Meet in the parking lot. This prayer ceremony will be lead by Lei’ohu Ryder to set the intention that the highest potential be attained at this hearing.

There will also be a prayer circle at the Federal Courthouse in Honolulu at 8 in the morning, one hour before the 9am hearing. We encourage as many supporters as possible to come to this hearing at 300 Ala Moana Blvd in Honolulu. Also, please contact your Oahu friends encourage them to attend. We want to fill the courtroom with supporters.

For more information go to: HERE

Update to Federal Court Case
2-25-2015

On Tuesday, March 10th at 9:00 AM the Federal District Court in Honolulu will hold a hearing on a motion (filed by Shaka Movement’s attorneys) asking the court to dismiss the case of the Biotech Industry vs Maui County, based on a variety of legal and evidentiary arguments. The memorandum filed with the court on the issue can be read and reviewed here.

In the essential part of our presentation to the court, we explain – “Maui citizens adopted a voter initiative to protect Maui County from harms to the environment and local health. These are fundamental rights protected under the Hawaii Constitution. The central issue in both cases is whether the County has an obligation to adopt this law under Hawaii law, recognizing the County’s police powers. SHAKA has a significant interest in assuring that the County actually implements the law, as SHAKA devoted significant time and resources facilitating the law’s adoption and is in large part responsible for its adoption.”

“The local issues at stake in this case are not merely “technical violations of the Maui County Charter,” as the County claims. Rather, the issues center on (1) the constitutional and statutory separation of power between the State of Hawaii and its municipalities, (2) the ability and obligation of the County to protect the environment and human health,; (3) whether state pesticide and plant quarantine laws were intended to prevent the County government from regulating GMO activities. (4) The effects on traditional Hawaiian Culture and the environment for open air genetic experimentation conducted by multinational corporate interests. (5) The Constitutional Right, under The Hawaii State Constitution “to a clean and healthy environment” and for “any person” to “enforce this right against any party, public or private, through appropriate legal proceedings”.

view all updates here