1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention

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{{History of Hawaii}}

The 1978 Hawaii State Constitutional Convention is considered the watershed political event in the modern State of Hawaii.{{Cite web|title=1978 Constitutional Convention|url=https://hawaii.concon.info/?page_id=214|website=The Hawaii State Constitutional Convention Clearinghouse|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-19}} It was convened on July 5, 1978. The convention established term limits for state office holders, provided a requirement for an annual balanced budget, laid the groundwork for the return of federal land such as the island of Kaho{{Okina}}olawe, and created the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in an effort to right the wrongs done towards native Hawaiians since the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawai{{Okina}}i in 1893. The event also created an ambitious project of preservation of the Hawaiian culture including the adoption of Hawaiian diacritical marks for official usage, use of Hawaiian names, etc. The Hawaiian language became the official state language of Hawaii for the first time since the overthrow.{{Cite web|title=‘Fragile Aloha’: Why Hawaii’s Last Constitutional Convention Was Important|url=https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/09/fragile-aloha-why-hawaiis-last-constitutional-convention-was-important/|last=Hofschneider|first=Anita|date=September 13, 2018|website=Civil Beat|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913131527/https://www.civilbeat.org/2018/09/fragile-aloha-why-hawaiis-last-constitutional-convention-was-important/ |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |access-date=}}

Based upon language the US Supreme Court had used to legalize abortion and birth control, the convention added the text: "the right of the people to privacy is recognized and shall not be infringed without the showing of a compelling state interest." This text makes the state constitution one of only five in the US that explicitly define a right to privacy.{{cite news |last=Issenberg |first=Sasha |date=May 5, 2021 |title=The Surprising Honolulu Origins of the National Fight Over Same-Sex Marriage |url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/31/issenberg-book-excerpt-bill-woods-honolulu-doma-491401 |work=Politico |access-date=June 2, 2021}}