The 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention is considered the watershed political event in the modern State of Hawaii. It was convened on July 5, 1978. The convention established term limits for state office holders, provided a requirement for an annual balanced budget, laid the groundwork for the return of federal land such as the island of

Kahoolawe Kahoolawe (Hawaiian: ), anglicized as Kahoolawe (), is the smallest of the eight main volcanic islands in the Hawaiian Islands. Kahoolawe is located about southwest of Maui and also southeast of Lānaʻi, and it is long by wide, with a total l ...

, and most importantly created the

Office of Hawaiian Affairs The Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) is a self-governing corporate body of the State of Hawaii created by the 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention. Background In 1893, pro-American elements in Hawaii overthrew the monarchy and formed the ...

in an effort to right the wrongs done towards native Hawaiians since the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893. The event also created an ambitious project of preservation of the Hawaiian culture including the adoption of Hawaiian diacritical marks for official usage, use of Hawaiian names, etc. The Hawaiian language became the official state language of Hawaii for the first time since the overthrow. Based upon language the

US Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point of ...

had used to legalize abortion and birth control, the convention added the text: "the right of the people to privacy is recognized and shall not be infringed without the showing of a

compelling state interest Government or state interest is a concept in law that allows the state to regulate a given matter. The concept may apply differently in different countries, and the limitations of what should and should not be of government interest vary, and hav ...

." This text makes the state constitution one of only five in the US that explicitly define a right to privacy. A major outgrowth of the constitutional convention was the launching of the political careers of those who would later dominate Hawaiian politics. Delegates to the convention included: *

Carol Fukunaga Carol Fukunaga (born December 12, 1947) is an American lawyer and politician. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Fukunaga received her bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii and her J.D. degree from the William S. Richardson School of Law. She pr ...

, future legislative leader *

Helene Hale Helene Hale (March 23, 1918 – February 1, 2013) was an American politician from the state of Hawaii. Hale was born Helene Eleanor Hilyer in Minneapolis, Minnesota on March 23, 1918. From 1955 until 1963 she served on the County of Hawaii Boa ...

, future legislative leader * Jeremy Harris, future Mayor of Honolulu * Les Ihara, Jr., future legislative leader *

Barbara Marumoto Barbara Marumoto is a former member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, Hawaii State House of Representatives. She represented Kaimuki, Hawaii, Kaimuki, Waialae, and Kahala as a Republican Party (United States), Republican. Biography Marumo ...

, future legislative leader * Joseph M. Souki, future Speaker of the House * John David Waiheʻe III, future Governor * Charlene Hoe, Windward Oʻahu delegate and founder of Hakipuʻu Learning Center

References

External links

Proceedings of the 1978 Constitutional Convention - Volume I

Proceedings of the 1978 Constitutional Convention - Volume II
Constitution of Hawaii Hawaii State Constitutional Convention, 1978

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Native Hawaiian history Legal history of Hawaii Indigenous land rights in Hawaii Constitutional Convention 1978 in law Official languages {{Hawaii-stub