The editorial page of the New York Times praises gay
activists in Connecticut for, finally, deciding "not to make
the perfect the enemy of the good this year in Hartford," and
ending their opposition to a civil unions bill that the legislature
seems poised to pass. The Times concludes that if all goes as
planned:
Connecticut and California will be the only states to have enacted broad laws of this kind voluntarily.... It's no small thing for a state legislature to take this step on its own. The constitutional rights of every American are safest when they're protected not by the judiciary alone, but also by the strong support of the citizenry as a whole.
Turning to the judiciary should be a last resort, but too often it's taken as the first step. And then we're shocked, shocked when unpopular judicial decrees are sweepingly set aside by the actual citizenry.
Running to teacher may sometimes be necessary, but it never wins
you friends.