The Hawaii Supreme Court last month opened a path for criminal defendants to challenge convictions based on discredited evidence, while sharply criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent constitutional jurisprudence.
Writing for a three-justice majority, Justice Todd Eddins stressed that the court would “interpret the Hawaii Constitution on its own terms” rather than follow what he described as the U.S. Supreme Court’s “results-driven” approach. “This court” he wrote, “does not anchor Hawaii’s due process rights to the federal floor. Especially one that keeps sinking.”
Eddins’ rebuke reflects a broader effort to remind the public that state courts can chart their own course and play a critical role in American democracy.
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