Hawaii Supreme Court Grants New Trial and Criticizes U.S. Supreme Court Rulings on Race and Due Process

The Hawaii Supreme Court on July 15 granted a new trial to a man convicted in 1990 based on FBI hair-and-fiber testimony that modern science has discredited. The 91-page opinion in Granillo v. State reached that result after reviewing the record of the original conviction.

Approximately 73 pages into the opinion the majority shifted from the case facts to criticism of the U.S. Supreme Court. The court stated it would take no guidance on due process from a court that gutted due process protections in Dobbs.

It added that the Court that now defines federal due process does not honor the work of 1954 and revives the work of 1857 and 1896. The opinion accused the Roberts Court of seeing only white and described its approach as white sight by design. It referred to Supreme Court jurisprudence as white noise and criticized decisions in Dobbs, Shelby County, Bruen, Rucho, Citizens United, and Loper Bright.

In June 2026 Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the U.S. Supreme Court, had reversed an earlier Hawaii Supreme Court decision. Alito stated that the Constitution cannot give way to the spirit of Aloha.

Senator Eric Schmitt stated on July 17 that the Hawaii opinion amounted to judicial insurrection.