WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Supreme Court will decide next year whether the State of Hawaii can sell or transfer land once owned by Native Hawaiians before their claims are resolved.

The justices will rule on an appeal of a Hawaii Supreme Court decision barring the state from disposing of 1.2 million acres on Maui and the Big Island that once belonged to the former Hawaiian monarchy.

The case started with a 1994 lawsuit by the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs and four people who want the state to hold onto the land until Native Hawaiian claims are settled.

The Hawaii court's decision was based on the 1993 Apology Resolution.

In that action, Congress acknowledged wrongdoing in the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy and recognized the inherent sovereignty of indigenous islanders over their land.