It’s the latest twist in a legal battle between the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources and freight forwarding company freight brokers, who say the state is violating their First Amendment rights.
Hawaii’s Attorney General is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene to stop the state from shutting down freight forwarding, saying the companies are taking advantage of the state’s lax regulations to profit off of its abundant natural resources.
The Hawaii Department for Land and Environmental Resources says it is just doing what is best for the state and the environment.
It is trying to protect the rights of Hawaii’s residents to ship their cargo.
But the companies say it is wrong that the state should have the authority to take away their freedom to send their goods.
The states’ attorney general says it’s not clear what would stop the federal government from shutting off a commercial enterprise if it is not acting in the best interests of the United States.
The case is being closely watched as the Obama administration tries to push through regulations that would protect freight forwarding businesses from federal regulations.
Hawaii is a big market for freight forwarding because of its large natural resources and the low cost of shipping goods across the country.
In a recent ruling, the Supreme Court said states could not restrict interstate commerce if they could show that it would result in a substantial loss to the state.
But that was a narrower ruling than the ruling in the recent freight brokers case, which also applies to Hawaii.
The U.N. and other experts have been urging the federal courts to stop Hawaii from taking away their rights.
They say the federal laws are needed to protect consumers and businesses from the risk of foreign companies getting access to a vital piece of the U