Hawaiʻi Supreme Court blocks Tommy Waters from reelection

The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court has ruled that Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters is ineligible to run for a third consecutive term. In a 3-2 decision, the court denied Waters' request to be placed on the ballot for the upcoming November general election.

The court determined that Waters has already met the two-term limit established by the city charter. While Waters argued that his first term, which began in May 2019, was not a full four-year term, the court's opinion stated that the term limit provision is not based on the specific amount of time served or when a member is sworn in. Instead, the court concluded he was elected to the 2019-2023 term and the 2023-2027 term, making him ineligible for the 2027-2031 term.

As a result of the ruling, the votes Waters received in the August primary are invalidated. The court ordered that Trevor Ozawa and Tara Malia Gregory, the two eligible candidates who received the highest number of votes, will face each other in the November 3 general election for Council District 4, which covers the area from Waikīkī to Hawaiʻi Kai.