GUEST BLOGGER (LEE MCD): ON THE END OF A TERM

The US Supreme Court ended its term recently with a spate of historic decisions -- one on gay rights & privacy, one on affirmative action & the value of diversity, and one on political re-districting and the diluting of minority voting strength. The Village Voice posed an interesting question of the day, and I submit it to you, along with my response -- just scroll down to "Lee M., Joplin, MO":

What was the Supreme's Court's most significant decision this term?

Lee: I heard a gay right's advocate on NPR say that the Supreme Court's ruling on gay rights & privacy was the single largest civil rights decision in favor of the gay community in the history of humankind. That's a damn dramatic statement, and I don't mean 'dramatic' as in overstated or emotional. Rather, not being gay myself and having never been limited by societal laws related to intimate contact between consenting adults, I never took the time to consider just how impactful the Court's ruling would be for those impacted by the decision. (I'm really glad that NPR's around to keep me in touch with what should / could really matter most in life.) Thus, I I think the Texas v. Lawrence decision was the most significant decision of this particular term.