WASHINGTON (AP) -The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a congressional resolution apologizing for the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1893 did not strip the state of its authority to sell or transfer about 1.2 million acres of land.
The court's unanimous decision overturns a ruling by the Hawaii Supreme Court that blocked the sale of land conveyed to Hawaii when it became the 50th state. Many Native Hawaiians remain frustrated over how their islands were taken and divvied up by outsiders.
After years of legal wrangling, the state court last year halted sales of the ''ceded lands'' until Native Hawaiian claims to those lands are put to rest. The acreage represents more than a quarter of the islands.
