Free Republic

The Supreme Court, in two recent cases (Lawrence v. Texas and Atkins v. Virginia) is continuing a trend of citations of foreign and international law, particularly European law, as supporting evidence for the validity of its decisions. This use of international sources in cases involving purely domestic concerns is alien to the American legal system, historically, and, if unchecked, will produce a further erosion of American sovereignty, in addition to the mischief already done by these cases. Lawrence v. Texas, 02-102 (2003), is the recent case overturning a Texas statute barring same-sex sodomy. Justice Kennedy, writing for the majority, cites...

I oppose the death penalty. To be clear, I accept the idea that the death penalty can serve as a deterrent; I am convinced that retribution is the justification and proper purpose of punishment; and I continue to believe in the reality and facticity of evil. Nevertheless, I have come to believe that the abolition of the death penalty could be an important step in building what Pope John Paul II has called a "Culture of Life," and that opposition to capital punishment can serve as a powerful witness to the transcendent dignity of the human person. All that...