CLTC: Justice Dept. has no right to sue GovGuam
Guam – Racial discrimination on Guam? Defendants say not so! Chamorro Land Trust Commission attorneys were in District Court this morning for a hearing on the US government’s lawsuit alleging the commission’s Chamorro-only leases violate the Fair Housing Act.
If nothing else, the Attorney General’s special counsels are reassured that the presiding judge is thoroughly informed on Guam’s exceptional history, specifically that the “Chamorro persons” designation is technically a legal and political one through the 1950 enactment of the Organic Act of Guam.
“That’s the authority,” Special Assistant Attorney General Mike Phillips said. “It’s the enactment. With one sweep of a pen, everybody on Guam, no matter what your race was, became a US citizen and the term used, Chamorro, the judge made a big deal about that. The term used is Chamorro, but the definition is a political definition. That’s really our argument. It’s really a political definition. It’s not a racial classification at all.”
That point remains up for argument, but if anything’s for certain, the US Territory of Guam’s indigenous and local rights advocates are still paying close attention to federal cases that challenge culturally sensitive exceptional situations and are standing their ground against the assertion that the government of Guam can even be sued by the Justice Department in the first place, much less be brought to trial, in this case for violations of the Fair Housing Act on specially designated lands.
Read more: https://pacificnewscenter.com/cltc-justice-dept-has-no-right-to-sue-govguam/
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