I note with delight the successful override of yesterday's veto by Vermont's despicable governor of the bill legalizing gay marriage in that state. As of September 1, gays will be free to marry. Three cheers.
I also note with delight the unanimous ruling by the the Iowa supreme court that the state's constitution requires that gay people enjoy the same marriage rights as everybody else. No separate but equal baloney here; no second-class "civil unions" for queers but marriage for "normal" folk. Everybody is equal before the law in Iowa. Three cheers again.
Soon the California state supreme court will issue its ruling on the appeal of Proposition 8. Let's see if those justices have the courage of their previous conviction--namely, that the state's constitution requires equality before the law even for gay people. I'm not betting the rent money on those quivering judicial doves, however. During oral argument it seemed clear that they were more than happy to cede the rule of law to the demagogues who lied their way to a narrow victory last November. Votes are sacred no matter what voters vote for, implied the justices. If you can muster a majority, then you get to alienate a person's unalienable rights. Mobs rule if the mobs show up at the polls on election day. That's democracy. And, of course, judges subject to popular approval at election time (at least these judges in California) are not loathe to invoke this unwritten legal principle: Placate the electorate to keep your job.
Courage, honesty, and simple human decency (much less fidelity to ancient legal principles) are traits found in abundance in Iowa and Vermont these days. I think that they are in short supply among California judges, but I hope to be proved wrong.
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