First Amendment

I trust that the courts will agree with us and act quickly to quash this audacious bid to suppress our right to speak out on matters concerning the future of Hawaii.

... Free Expression in a Climate of Self-Censorship: A National Survey of American Law Faculty ....

"...scholars standing up for scholarly rigor and not letting political goals corrupt the research...."

... The Institute for Free Speech has filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Grassroot Institute to challenge Act 11, which stands to block the nonprofit’s civic advocacy efforts ....

... the House Advisory Committee on Rules met in secret and made decisions ....

... His appointment will go before the UH Board of Regents for final approval on Thursday, June 4 ....

...OHA toys with another shiny object as it crosses Trustees' field of vision.  Surprisingly, they decide not to be distracted....

... the bill would weaken states’ ability to protect children online while insulating Big Tech from accountability ....

... Hawaii legal trends increasingly prioritize adult desires over children’s rights ....

... TikTok wants Hawaii’s state lawsuit accusing TikTok of deliberately addicting children dismissed, or at least moved to federal court ....

...Following court order blocking Hawaii law in favor of The Babylon Bee, Hawaii resident, state officials agree to pay attorneys’ fees, conclude case....

... CLUE: Lawsuit next ....

...Is it possible to curb corporate influence without jeopardizing fundamental rights?....

... HB1961 & HB1875 Awaiting Governor Action ....

...Some labor groups also opposed the measure, arguing it could restrict unions’ political activity, though a proposed union carve-out was rejected in conference....

... establishing some of the nation’s first consumer protections and transparency requirements for conversational artificial intelligence services, particularly for minors and individuals seeking mental health or crisis support ....

...The legislative session ends Friday, with a the corporate spending bill still hanging in the balance....

... Both HB1961 and HB1875 have effectively bypassed conference committee and are now on the Governor's desk ....

...House has voted to accept the Senate versions of both HB1875 juvenile sex change, and HB1961 protest outside Planned Parenthood thus they are now both enrolled directly to the Governor....

“One has to belong to the intelligentsia to believe things like that: no ordinary man could be such a fool.” – George Orwell

... HB1875 juvenile sex change passes Senate 21-4 ....

... HB1875: Juvenile sex change passes Senate JDC ....

... This Week at the Capitol: Resolutions, Resolutions, Resolutions ....

... The decision is now on appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ....

... too Trumpy for Hawaii roads? ....

... Oregon enacted virtually identical legislation along party lines in 2025, and the Freedom Foundation filed a federal First Amendment lawsuit challenging it. ... 

... the law only prohibited counseling conversations in one direction. It allowed conversations that push young people toward a gender identity different from their sex ....

... The bill now moves to the Senate Judiciary Committee ....

...Park permanently enjoined a Hawaii law criminalizing the reckless distribution of “materially deceptive media” that “risk[s] ... harming the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate in an election or changing the voting behavior of voters in an election.”...

... The bills we have been tracking have passed THIRD Reading and have now crossed over to the opposite chamber ....

... testifiers raised concerns about parental rights, medical accountability, and the breadth of the legal shield being created ....

... Noon at University of Hawaii at Manoa – Campus Center Courtyard ...

... requires access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity, sets new investigation rules, mandates employee reporting, and increases the potential for lawsuits ....

...Hawaii DoE compels students to use certain pronouns when the students address their self-described “transgender” peers....

... Fighting foreign psychological operations from our very own shores ....

... Babylon Bee, Hawaii resident prevail against state law banning political memes ....

... The Babylon Bee went to court to challenge a Hawaii law banning “deceptive media” during the 10 months before an election ....

... Grassroot, Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters, and city Managing Director Mike Formby all submitted proposals regarding fiscal notes ....

... Gov. Josh Green signed S2687 into law in July 2024. It prohibits the distribution of “materially deceptive media” that portrays politicians in a way that risks harming “the reputation or electoral prospects of a candidate” or simply risks “changing … voting behavior.” ....

"...we publish what we receive and attempt to balance anti- and pro-Trump submissions — to the point of declining many against, and accepting nearly all in favor...."

... The claims are similar to ones raised by more than a dozen other states ....

... an 8th-grade history teacher, taught a federally mandated lesson about the Constitution for Constitution Day ....

"...The number of Hawai‘i newspapers in circulation was as high as 52 in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but this number dropped to just 13 in 2024...."

... keeping up with myriad government actions is challenging ....

... to revolutionize how Hawaii residents communicate with legislators ....

... the vice principal interrupted a social studies department meeting to announce that teachers are not allowed to discuss “controversial issues” and that if controversial issues arise in student discussions, teachers must “shut it down” ....

... Grassroot’s “Open Hearings” project can monitor and summarize government hearings and produce transcripts and summaries of those hearings almost immediately ....

... an outpouring of confusion, speculation and misinformation ....

... a land patent issued by the Territory of Hawaii in 1922 limited the uses of the land to "Church purposes only" ....

"The premeditated murder of Charlie Kirk ... is about whether democracy as we’ve dreamed and largely known it can still work."