HONOLULU (KHON2) — The US Department of Justice is throwing its weight in support of a federal lawsuit challenging the legality of Hawaii’s quarantine order.
The US Attorney for the District of Hawaii Kenji Price had previously alluded to this kind of move telling Always Investigating last month that the feds were on the lookout for instances where state government proclamations overreached.
In the department’s statement it said “Hawaii’s self quarantine requirement effectively discriminates against out-of-state residents…and although the governor may take steps to protect public safety…He must also show that the order bears a substantial relationship to that goal.”
That is something the DOJ says the governor has not done.
The State Attorney General’s office provided this response:
The Department of Justice’s statement of interest filed in the Carmichael v. Ige matter is, like the plaintiff’s allegations, without merit. The Governor’s Emergency Proclamation for COVID-19 and the subsequent proclamations were properly and lawfully issued pursuant to the Governor’s statutory authority and his determination that an emergency exists due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the danger and threat it poses to Hawaii.
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