The News From the Supreme Court

Sure the supreme court agreed that Kentucky (and by analogy other states) can continue to have execution by lethal injection, but that's not the big news.

The big news was that Justice Stevens decided that "I have relied on my own experience in reaching the conclusion that the imposition of the death penalty" is unconstitutional. That's right "his own experience". Why bother with the Constitution? Who needs it? Let's just hang out, and use our "experience" to decide what the law should be.

The scary part is that he's hardly the only one that thinks that way. It is the basis of 'legislating from the bench'.

Compare that to the oath each supreme court justice takes:

"I, [NAME], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as [TITLE] under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God."

Hmmm... I didn't see anything there about experience.