Gay Rights in Ireland

Good question, jar, and my answer would be no. I think that issues of civil rights are best decided by the courts. The 9th and 14th amendments pretty much cover all the bases that aren't covered in the rest of the Bill of Rights, I think. The only question is whether the courts recognize that. That's why SCOTUS appointments are so important.A new law can be changed easily. America's founding fathers tried to make it such that we couldn't tamper with basic civil rights by merely changing laws.This message has been edited by berberry, 01-26-2006 09:44 AM

Tal asks:

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But isn't the courts' job simply to interpret the law passed by the legislature?

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That depends on the case. In a typical criminal case you're right, the court is merely there to interpret law and render judgement. But when an issue of constitutionality comes up the court must decide whether the law in question violates any provision of the constitution.