[Congressman Billybob]

The Schooner Peggy stated a general principle, when the law is changed between the trial decision and the Supreme Court review, the new law must be followed. So, the case controlled an attorneys’ fee award in a Richmond School district, long after Schooners and privateers had passed from the scene.

Likewise, the Heller case states a general principle, that the meaning of any part of the Constitution is determined by what it meant when it was written, and ratified. The earliest writing was in 1787, ratification by 1789, for the Second Amendment. (The latest ratification was in 1992, BTW.)

The general principle of Heller SHOULD be followed in all Supreme Court cases to come. We shall see.

John / Billybob

[elk]

O.k., the Heller decision is out - I can let me breath out. When Laurence Tribe even supports this reading of the 2nd Amendment...

The scary thing about this is the 4 jurists who decided to ignore the Constitution in the Heller decision.

[An Old Man]

"(The latest ratification was in 1992, BTW.)"

That would be for Amendment 27 - Limiting Congressional Pay Increases. Ratified 5/7/1992

No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

I read that to mean that if they vote themselves a pay raise once a week, they will be in violation of the constitution. Why is the date significant?

You lawyers scare the hell out of me. It's as if you dwell in a universe apart from the rest of us.