honoluluadvertiser.com

Sponsored by:

Comment, blog & share photos

Log in | Become a member
The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Bid to halt debates refused


Advertiser Staff

Two congressional candidates excluded from televised congressional debates this week have filed federal court actions protesting the exclusions.

One, Karl F. Moseley, filed a legal action yesterday asking the court to block a debate televised last night on stations KGMB, KHNL and KFVE.

United States Chief District Judge Susan Oki Mollway issued an order in the afternoon denying Moseley's request because he "has not met the standard for issuance of an injunction."

Mollway said Moseley's 21-page legal petition "appears to contain lengthy quotations without source citations and appears to be Moseley's stream of consciousness."

Moseley described himself in the legal papers as "white, religious, over sixty and trans-sexual" but did not cite any of those characteristics as reasons for the discrimination he allegedly has suffered by being excluded from the debate, Mollway wrote.

"Moseley is clearly unsatisfied with being excluded from tonight's debate. But Moseley leaves this court to guess at the legal basis for the present attempt to enjoin the debate," the judge wrote.

The other complaint was filed last week by another congressional candidate, C. Kaui Jochanan Amsterdam, against television station KITV.

Amsterdam complained in the court papers that the station has abridged his freedom of speech by excluding him from a candidates forum to be televised Friday evening.

The alleged violation "has a chilling impact on the plaintiff's candidacy and other candidates and their success," Amsterdam wrote.

His two-page complaint is still pending.