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1h ago

Supreme Court Takes Case on States’ Power to Bar Guns on Public-Facing Private Property

The justices will test how their Bruen historical‑tradition standard applies to Hawaii’s 2023 permission rule that has divided lower courts.

A general view of the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S., June 1, 2024. REUTERS/Will Dunham/File Photo
FILE - The Supreme Court is seen in the distance, framed through columns of the U.S. Senate at the Capitol in Washington, Feb. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - President Donald Trump, left, greets justices of the Supreme Court, from left, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, before addressing a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, March 4, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The US Supreme Court building in Washington, DC, on Thursday, October 2, 2025.

Overview

  • The court on Friday granted review in Wolford v. Lopez, focusing solely on whether states may make carry on private property open to the public unlawful without an owner’s express consent.
  • Hawaii’s law, enacted in 2023, flips the default by requiring written or verbal authorization to carry in businesses and other public‑facing private venues, while separately listing sensitive places such as beaches, parks, and bars.
  • A district judge initially blocked parts of the law, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely upheld it, creating tension with the 2nd Circuit, which rejected a similar New York provision.
  • The challenge was filed by three licensed residents—Jason Wolford, Alison Wolford, and Atom Kasprzycki—and the Hawaii Firearms Coalition, with the Trump administration’s solicitor general, John Sauer, urging the court to take the case.
  • Arguments will occur during the new term that begins Monday, with a decision expected by late June or July, potentially affecting similar laws in California, New York, Maryland, and New Jersey.