Alito rules 'spirit of aloha' does not override Second Amendment in gun case
Justice Samuel Alito took aim at arguments from Hawaii‘s reliance on the “spirit of aloha” as rationale for expansive and restrictive gun laws, in a ruling Thursday striking down a sweeping firearm law in the Aloha State.
TL;DR
- Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to strike down a sweeping Hawaii gun law.
- The law required gun owners to get permission to carry firearms on any private property.
- Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion, rejecting the 'spirit of Aloha' as a basis for gun law interpretation.
- Alito stated the Second Amendment has the same meaning nationwide and cannot yield to local attitudes.
- Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's dissent argued that Hawaii's historical tradition of firearm regulation should be considered.
- Jackson cited a 1833 prohibition of 'dangerous weapons' by King Kamehameha III.
- The ruling is on Wolford v. Lopez, with other major cases still pending.