The Supreme Court has agreed to determine whether or not the state of Hawaii must reach an agreement with the native Hawaiian population before the state can sell 1.2 million acres of land.
The state is arguing that it has the authority to dispose of the land, representing more than a quarter of the Hawaiian Islands. But the state’s own Office of Hawaiian Affairs argues that the lands must be held until claims of native Hawaiians have been resolved.
The Hawaii Supreme Court agreed that the claims had to be resolved.
Some legal analysts say a ruling against the state of Hawaii could set a precedent for other native populations to make claims to lands they once inhabited.