The group behind the Maui County anti-GMO initiative on Friday filed a motion to intervene in the federal lawsuit filed by Monsanto Company and others seeking to invalidate the ordinance.

Five leaders of the Shaka Movement — Dr. Lorrin Pang, Mark Sheehan, Lei’ohu Ryder, Bonnie Marsh, Alika Atay — also filed a motion to dismiss the suit.

In court papers, the group requested that the court “abstain from resolving the important state issues that directly impact the county’s ability to protect its natural environment and avoid irreparable harm to Public Trust resources.”

Maui voters Nov. 4 narrowly passed the initiative that outlaws the planting of new GMO crops until they are proven safe. But a federal judge ordered a temporary injunction against the law.