Subject: HAWAII, JAN. 19
From: <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 19 Jan 95 10:09:32 HST

COURT HEARING MOVED FROM APRIL
			      TO SEPTEMBER 25

	On Jan. 17, the State of Hawaii asked for a further delay in
the up-coming Circuit Court hearing on its compelling state interest in
denying marriage licenses to same-gender couples.  Hawaii's Supreme Court
ruled in 1993 that, unless such compelling state interests can be demonstrated
in court, Hawaii must issue marriage licenses to same-gender couples.  The
request for delay is yet one more sign that the state is not prepared for
its day in court.  The Hawaii Equal Rights Marriage Project (HERMP) is confident
that there is no compelling state interest in this discrimination, and is
not surprised that the Attorney General's office keeps asking for delay.

       A complicating factor is the study commission created by law to advise
the legislature on how to end the discrimination caused by denying marriage
licenses to same-gender couples.  The State asked for further delay to
to give the legislature some time to take positive action on any
report which the commission might issue.  Right now, there is no evidence
that the legislature is going to act on the commission's interim
report, which was issued in mid-January in advance of the legislative session
(which began Jan. 18).  Nevertheless, the Circuit Court judge granted the
State's request for a delay and moved the court date from April to September
25, 1995.

      The September trial date does not seriously affect HERMP's overall
strategy---we still expect a Circuit Court ruling in 1995 and an appeal by the
loser to Hawaii's Supreme Court in 1996, which has been our expected timetable
since the summer of 1994.  We do not expect the State to discover any com-
pelling state interests between now and September, and there is some chance
that the legislature might yet get its act together in a positive direction.
Any positive action by the legislature helps us by moving the center of gravity
for debate within Hawaii.

      Will the State ask for yet more time at a later date?  Perhaps.  We
can hope that the judge will have lost his patience by then.

					Aloha!
					Tom Ramsey
					Secretary
					HERMP Steering Committee

P.S.  Donations to GLCC/HERMP are tax-deductible, and may be sent to
GLCC/HERMP, 1820 University Ave., Room 8, Honolulu, HI 96822.  HERMP is
grotesquely underfunded, but I don't want to describe via email the tasks
which we can't do but should.