Kahawaiolaa v. Norton

386 F.3d 1271 Patrick L. KAHAWAIOLAA; Virgil C. Day; Samuel L. Kealoha, Jr.; Josiah L. Hoohuli; Ka Lahui Hawai'i, Plaintiffs-Appellants, v. Gale A. NORTON, in her capacity as Secretary of the Department of the Interior of the United States of America, Defendant-Appellee. No. 02-17239. United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit. Argued November 7, 2003. Submitted October 27, 2004. Filed October 27, 2004. Walter R. Schoettle and Emmett E. Lee Loy, Honolulu, HI, for the appellants. Elizabeth A. Peterson, Ellen J. Durkee, Environment & Natural Resources Division, Jeffery Bossert Clark, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Thomas L. Sansonetti, Assistant Attorney General, Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.; R. Michael Burke, Assistant United States Attorney and Edward H. Kubo, Jr., United States Attorney, Honolulu, HI, for the appellee. Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Hawaii, Alan C. Kay, District Judge, Presiding. D.C. No. CV-01-00817-ACK. Before: BROWNING, REINHARDT, and THOMAS, Circuit Judges. THOMAS, Circuit Judge: 1 In this appeal, we consider whether the exclusion of native Hawaiians from the Department of Interior's regulations…