Ozawa seeks fast Hawaii Supreme Court ruling on Waters’ disqualification

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Attorneys for Trevor Ozawa filed an emergency request to the Hawaii Supreme Court late Wednesday afternoon, seeking a ruling before mid-September on whether Tommy Waters can overturn his disqualification for another term in office.

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Waters was ruled ineligible for another term after the ballots in the Honolulu City Council District IV primary election were printed. The city clerk ruled that he was ineligible and that his votes would only be counted for the purpose of determining whether another candidate had received a majority of the votes.

Ozawa, the leading candidate in the election, said the Supreme Court must affirm or reverse the decision before the printing deadline for general election ballots.

He argued that is the only way to prevent voter confusion and avoid a situation where Waters’ appeal comes too late, which could lead to a special election if Waters is declared eligible after all.

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If nothing changes, Ozawa is set to appear on the run-off ballot alongside Tara Malia Gregory, who came in second because of Waters’ disqualification.

Currently, Waters’ appeal is before the Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, but five of the seven judges on that court have recused themselves apparently because of prior connections to either of the two candidates.

It is unclear if the same conflicts will affect the Supreme Court, which would require circuit court judges without conflicts of interest to be temporarily appointed to hear the case and rule.

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