Today is Good Friday, which is a state holiday, but not a federal holiday. (And unfortunately, it is not an Advertiser holiday, either.)

Hawaii is one of a handful of states that recognize Good Friday as a state holiday.

I was interested in the history behind this, so I looked it up.

In the late 1980s, a group of local residents sued Gov. John Waihee, Mayor Frank Fasi, other government officials and public employee organizations. They alleged that the Hawaii statute that sets aside Good Friday as a state holiday violates the establishment clause of the first amendment, which prevents government from affiliating itself with any religious doctrine or organization.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the observance of Good Friday as a state holiday on April 30, 1991, saying that the purpose of establishing Good Friday as a holiday in Hawaii wasn’t religious, but simply “to provide Hawaiians with another holiday.” Essentially, our government just wanted to give workers a day off.

At that time, 11 other states recognized Good Friday as a legal holiday. As the AP/NYT reported in 1991, the Ninth Circuit became the first Federal appellate court ever to rule on the issue.

Hope you’re enjoying your day, if you have the day off. Have a nice weekend!