Proposition 8: Justices illustrated how the Constitution works
Published: Thursday, Jun. 27, 2013 - 9:06 am
Last Modified: Thursday, Jun. 27, 2013 - 12:25 pm
Re "Gay Marriage is on a roll" (Page A1, June 27): Voter-approved initiatives do not carry absolute weight or protection from scrutiny and testing for constitutionality, as some letter writers may think. If it were the case, then slavery could be made legal again through voter-approved measures.
Checks and balances in our system are designed to guard against the tyranny of the majority. The powers of judicial authority and ability to overrule voter initiatives are enshrined in the powers of the U.S. Supreme Court.
People who complain that their votes don't count anymore or that democracy is dead should re-read the Constitution to learn more about how U.S. democracy works.
-- David Brotman, Gold River
