A great letter to the editor in Saturday's Wash Post:
On the Senate floor July 14, Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) said, 'Will activist judges not elected by the American people destroy the institution of marriage, or will the people protect marriage as the best way to raise children? My vote is with the people' ['Ban on Gay Marriage Fails,' front page, July 15].
Mr. Frist should know that a majority (28) of state supreme courts are elected directly by the people. In another 11 states, judges are appointed by the governor for one term but then must be elected by the people for any successive terms. Only six state supreme courts are directly appointed by the governor, while the remaining five are elected by the legislatures.
If the senator wants to talk about a branch of government not elected by the people, see the executive: President Bush lost the popular election by more than 500,000 votes.
