In the midst of otherwise-disappointing news, Richard North points out a bit of British judicial custom: judges will not overturn the decisions of governments so long as they follow the appropriate process, almost entirely regardless of the outcome. I would much prefer that than judges deciding what lawmakers ought to decide. It would be a solid first step toward re-establishing the notion of judges as neutral arbiters of the law rather than activists who push for certain outcomes and who decide cases based on policy, as our esteemed Supreme Court did today.
Incidentally, as far as the death penalty for child rape goes, I wholeheartedly support the firing squad followed by leaving the cretin’s head on a pike as a lesson to others. Barbarity should not be tolerated in civilized society.
