Justice Department Files Statement Challenging Constitutionality of Hawai‘i Governor’s COVID-19 Order

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in Hawaiʻi federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by residents of Nevada and California who own property in Hawaiʻi challenging a measure by Governor David Ige in response to COVID 19 that mandates a 14-day self-quarantine for individuals entering Hawaiʻi.

In its statement of interest, the US Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi claims that Hawaiʻi’s self-quarantine requirement “effectively discriminates against out-of-state residents.”

Special Assistant to the Attorney General for Hawaiʻi, Krishna Jayaram responded to the claims saying:

“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 Hawaiʻi.”

The Statement of Interest is part of Attorney General William P. Barr’s April 27, 2020 initiative directing Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband for the Civil Rights Division, and the US Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, Matthew Schneider, to review state and local policies to ensure that civil liberties are protected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kenji M. Price, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Hawaiʻi said:

“The United States Constitution requires government to protect the privileges and immunities of all citizens in our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband of the Civil Rights Division. “These privileges and immunities include the right of Americans to travel freely anywhere in our country, and state governments cannot limit the right of out-of-state Americans to travel to their state unless doing so is substantially related to protecting the public safety. The Department of Justice remains committed to defending the constitutional rights of all Americans no matter where they live. The department will continue to be especially vigilant of any infringement on the right to travel that unduly harms the ability of Americans to earn a living and support their families.”

“Reasonable measures designed to protect the public are not only appropriate, but responsible during a pandemic, and the Constitution does not bind the hands of state officials who, through careful thought and deliberation impose such measures. However, there are bounds to the discretion our public officials have during times of crisis. Those bounds are shaped by constitutional safeguards, such as the right of Hawaiʻi residents and persons who hail from other states to travel freely within this great country. As our state leaders consider the way forward with Hawaiʻi’s 14-day quarantine, it is my hope that they will pay due consideration to the protections embedded in the Constitution, so that visitors from far and wide may experience the Aloha spirit that makes Hawaiʻi such a special place.”

Starting on March 4, 2020, the Governor of Hawaiʻi has issued a series of Proclamations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The latest one, his Ninth Supplementary Proclamation, maintains a mandatory 14-day self-quarantine for anyone entering Hawaiʻi.

Justice officials note that those subject to this self-quarantine mandate must confine themselves at a single “designated quarantine location” within Hawaiʻi and not leave there for two weeks (unless they are departing from the State).  Anyone who violates the self-quarantine mandate faces up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

The Department further states that “Those in Hawaiʻi not subject to the traveler self-quarantine, by contrast, are free to travel throughout the State—including between islands—for a variety of purposes.” The quarantine for interisland travel was lifted last week Tuesday, June 16,

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaiʻi states that: “In addition to contributing to the harm suffered by Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry, the self-quarantine mandate precludes out-of-state residents who own properties in Hawaiʻi from taking advantage of opportunities available to Hawaiʻi residents who have not left the island since the onset of the pandemic.”

In its statement of interest, the United States claims that Hawaiʻi’s self-quarantine requirement “effectively discriminates against out-of-state residents.”

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“This effective discrimination, based on the evidence and argument presented thus far, appears to be inadequately tailored to further public safety and therefore does not comply with the Constitution. The statement of interest explains that it appears that a close analogue to Hawaiʻi—Alaska—is able to protect public health through less restrictive means. Alaska, like Hawaiʻi, has low number of COVID-19 cases. Alaska, like Hawaiʻi, is typically reached by airplane. Alaska, like Hawaiʻi, imposes a 14-day self-quarantine mandate on those entering the State. But Alaska, unlike Hawaiʻi, provides out-of-state residents with alternatives to the self-quarantine: (i) they may produce test results showing they tested negative for COVID-19 shortly before departing for Alaska, (ii) they may test for COVID 19 upon arrival in Alaska and self-quarantine in Alaska until they receive a negative test result, or (iii) they may provide evidence that they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past and have recovered. Although Hawaiʻi’s Governor may take reasonable steps to protect public safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Governor must show that the effective discrimination against out-of-staters at issue here bears a substantial relationship to that goal. As of now, he has not done so.”

The federal case is Carmichael, et al. v. Ige, Case No. 1:20-cv-00273 JAO-WRP.