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Public opinion could sway Supreme Court’s ruling on gay marriage
Los Angeles Times ^ | March 1, 2013, 5:14 p.m. | David G. Savage, Washington Bureau

Posted on 03/02/2013 11:43:19 AM PST by Olog-hai

Public opinion on marriage for gay and lesbian couples has shifted with almost unprecedented speed since California voters banned such unions in 2008.

That shift could influence the Supreme Court, in particular Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and possibly Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., as it decides whether to uphold Proposition 8 in coming months. …

Kennedy, along with others on the court, probably would also resist going too fast. The current justices, both liberals and conservatives, say the court of the early 1970s made a mistake by striking down all state laws on abortion and capital punishment. Both decisions appeared to trigger a backlash, and the death penalty was soon restored to law.

Better to move in line with—or just slightly ahead of—shifting opinion, they believe. …

(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; Philosophy; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: gaymarriage; gaystapo; homofascists; homosexualagenda; lavendermafia; pedophiles; scotus; sodomhusseinobama
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Sure, let’s trash the rule of law for the rule of so-called “public opinion”, and not even the true opinion of the public.
1 posted on 03/02/2013 11:43:29 AM PST by Olog-hai
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To: Olog-hai

The only change is the way you conducted your poll.. How about the real polls about Abortion, they have changed drastically, but that doesn’t count.. Go Figger.. :)


2 posted on 03/02/2013 11:47:42 AM PST by carlo3b (Less Government, more Fiber)
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To: Olog-hai

Why the heck does public opinion matter at all?

Public opinion would be reflected in the legislation on homosexual marriage, but not in court rulings. For example, three states voted for homosexual marriage in November, but 32 states, an overwhelming majority, have amended their constitutions to define marriage.

The legislature of New York and a couple of other states voted to allow homosexual marriage. Again, this is where public opinion is expressed, by who is elected, and the views of our elected representatives.

So, do we make laws through political correctness, public opinion polls, and court rulings?

A court has no business acting as a legislature or sounding out public opinion, in determining if our marriage laws are constitutional. The laws in question need to be measured against the constitution, not some public opinion poll.


3 posted on 03/02/2013 11:57:40 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Dilbert San Diego
exactly.

If public opinion shifts such that 3/4 of the people want to change the constitution.. then more power to them. Until then, it's not the SC’s job to change the constitution only to interpret it.

4 posted on 03/02/2013 12:00:08 PM PST by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama lied .. the economy died.)
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To: Olog-hai

I don’t know.

When’s the last time they teach that we are a nation of laws/rules?

From I glean from the tidbits in colleges/schools, it is all about swaying (or what they call, leading) public opinions towards the ‘correct thinking’.


5 posted on 03/02/2013 12:00:23 PM PST by Sir Napsalot (Pravda + Useful Idiots = CCCP; JournOList + Useful Idiots = DopeyChangey!)
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To: Dilbert San Diego
Your comments were pretty much what I was going to say, you said it well. The people of California have already spoken, no court should be able to change the expressed will of the people.
6 posted on 03/02/2013 12:03:13 PM PST by Graybeard58 (_.. ._. .. _. _._ __ ___ ._. . ___ ..._ ._ ._.. _ .. _. .)
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To: Olog-hai
"Public opinion"? These people are appointed for life so they will NOT be swayed by such things as "public opinion".

Our form of government has turned too far to the "democracy" side and is in grave danger of losing its constitutional aspect altogether. IOW, our government is collapsing. Obama's plan, no less!

7 posted on 03/02/2013 12:04:03 PM PST by jeffc (The U.S. media are our enemy)
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To: Olog-hai

My hope-o-meter is down to zero, when it comes to the Supreme Court.


8 posted on 03/02/2013 12:07:32 PM PST by St_Thomas_Aquinas
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To: jeffc

One of the goals in the Communist Manifesto (the “first step in the revolution”, per Chapter 2) was to “win the battle of democracy”, now that you bring that up.


9 posted on 03/02/2013 12:08:15 PM PST by Olog-hai
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To: carlo3b

add in obamacare as well....


10 posted on 03/02/2013 12:11:59 PM PST by God luvs America (63.5 million pay no income tax and vote for DemoKrats...)
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To: Graybeard58

Thank you. It just stuns me that public opinion polls are said to be in the mix of a court decision on whether our marriage laws are constitutional.


11 posted on 03/02/2013 12:16:20 PM PST by Dilbert San Diego
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To: Olog-hai
" It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.” - Chief Justice John Roberts, July 2012
12 posted on 03/02/2013 12:17:56 PM PST by Bratch
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To: Olog-hai
what!...
first..0'ButtPlug's DeathCARE
now...his Queers' Holiday

more from John "Benedict Arnold" Robert's betrayals to the Republic
(all b/c he wants to be loved by the E$tabli$hment$' media)


13 posted on 03/02/2013 12:26:29 PM PST by skinkinthegrass (who'll take tomorrow,$pend it all today;who can take your income,tax it all away..0'Blowfly can :-)
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To: Olog-hai

The democrats are now a barely restrained Lynch Mob.


14 posted on 03/02/2013 12:27:12 PM PST by SWAMPSNIPER (The Second Amendment, a Matter of Fact, Not a Matter of Opinion)
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To: carlo3b
it's polling itself that's failed.

PEW Research reported last May that just about all the random sample pollsters (and even those with pre-selected polling groups) are down to a 9% response rate.

That means if you call 1000 people, you end up with just 90 of them providing you a response.

That's 1 out of 11.

A big part of the problem is that people just don't respond to calls from pollsters ~ after all, being commercial operations they have to send a signal to your phone telling you who they are ~ and you don't respond!

The problem at this point is that minority groups within the population can seize the day and take over the polling results simply by answering the phone.

Here's the way it works. Call that 1000 people your computer sampled for you. Let's say there's a group that's only 5% of the population and they always answer the pollster calls. You will get 50 of them!

. The other 95% only answer and responded at the 9% rate ~ which means they will represent only 8.55% of the total or 86 respondents.

As you can see that 5% now represents 37% of the responses, and the 95% has dropped to a here 63%~

If it's a Presidential preference poll, you'd expect something in the order of 50/50, but here'd you have 63/37!

You could be easily misled into thinking a Romacain was winning and a Gobama was losing.

Gee, that happened didn't it.

This also addresses the reason why Gallup thinks there are 3.4% gays out there ~ they asked all their subjects that question for the last year ~ and of course all the gay guys knew that! The real answer is more like .34% are gay ~ or 1/10 less BTW.

15 posted on 03/02/2013 12:28:45 PM PST by muawiyah
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To: Olog-hai

Public opinion shouldn’t matter a hill of beans.

The wolves have all voted that you are for dinner.


16 posted on 03/02/2013 12:29:57 PM PST by GeronL (http://asspos.blogspot.com)
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To: Olog-hai

Unfortunately the article is spot on.


17 posted on 03/02/2013 12:32:59 PM PST by OKRA2012
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To: Olog-hai

Yeah, it really did wonders for Obamacare!!!


18 posted on 03/02/2013 12:41:21 PM PST by PROTESTBYPROXY (Invictus Maneo !!)
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To: Olog-hai

Yeah, it really did wonders for Obamacare!!!


19 posted on 03/02/2013 12:41:21 PM PST by PROTESTBYPROXY (Invictus Maneo !!)
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To: Olog-hai

Yeah, it really did wonders for Obamacare!!!


20 posted on 03/02/2013 12:41:35 PM PST by PROTESTBYPROXY (Invictus Maneo !!)
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