U.S. Senate candidate Linda Lingle has asked fellow Republicans Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to back off on their criticism of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision to hold its conference on the Island of Maui and their suggestion that the conference be cancelled.  

Excerpts from a letter Lingle sent to the senators:

It is certainly a U.S. Senator’s job, indeed their responsibility, to oversee and monitor government spending and I commend you for that. But an event such as the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals’ conference planned on the Island of Maui in the State of Hawaii is usually booked years in advance and many people and businesses will be hurt if it is cancelled.

While I agree with your description of Hawaii as an “island paradise,” your characterization of Hawaii as “the most expensive and far-flung island paradise within the Circuit” is a mischaracterization of the great value offered by Hawaii’s hotels.

Hawaii falls into the court’s jurisdiction, and the many people who work in Maui’s visitor industry — including front office managers, bellmen, parking attendants, chefs, cooks, housekeepers, wait staff, groundskeepers and others — should not suffer the loss of work because a long-planned conference such as this is cancelled.

Photo of Sen. Jeff Sessions courtesy Gage Skidmore.