HONOLULU — A panel of U.S. appeals court judges are in Hawaii to consider a question: Should non-native residents of Guam have a say in the territory’s future relationship with the United States?
HONOLULU — A panel of U.S. appeals court judges are in Hawaii to consider a question: Should non-native residents of Guam have a say in the territory’s future relationship with the United States?
Oral arguments are scheduled Wednesday in an appeal to a federal judge’s 2017 ruling that says limiting the vote to those who are considered native inhabitants of the island is unconstitutional.
Arnold Davis, a white, non-Chamorro resident of Guam, sued in 2011 after his application to participate in the vote was denied.
The ruling concluded that even though Guam has a long history of colonization and its people have a right to determine their political status with the United States, it’s unconstitutional to exclude voters simply because they “do not have the correct ancestry or bloodline.”
