HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court won’t review a ruling on tax exemptions for Native Hawaiian homesteaders.
The Hawaii attorney general’s office says the request to review the state Supreme Court decision was denied Friday.
John Corboy and several others filed a taxpayer lawsuit contending the exemptions amount to racial discrimination.
Last year, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the non-Native Hawaiian plaintiffs did not have legal standing to challenge the constitutionality of the tax exemption.
Congress passed the Hawaiian Homes Act in 1921 setting aside land for Native Hawaiians that belonged to the Hawaiian Kingdom for $1 per year. The exemptions were later extended, with taxes ranging from $25 to $150 a year.
