United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D - Hawaii) issued the following statement on the Supreme Court's agreement to hear the case of Rice v. Cayetano, 98-818:

"The Ninth Circuit correctly determined that the OHA voting restriction 'is not primarily racial, but legal and political.' The Supreme Court should affirm that principle. Ultimately, the relationship between Native Hawaiians and the federal government must be settled through the legislative process, not the courts. This is a political question better left to Congress, the State of Hawaii, and Native Hawaiians.

"I have been working with the Clinton Administration since day one to build a framework for the federal government to consult and cooperate with the Hawaiian community. This is a work in progress. Recently I wrote to the Attorney General and Interior Secretary to recommend a procedure for executive branch consultation with Native Hawaiians on political status and ceded land issues. It is through this process, part of the "reconciliation efforts" urged in the 1993 Apology Resolution, that Native Hawaiians and Congress can work to resolve issues surrounding self-determination."