Great Regulars: Throughout the US, where legislatures have taken

a liberal line, electorates have tended to hit back when asked to vote directly on the issue. But in doing so, Judge Walker tells us, they have exceeded their rights as electorates. Voters may not simply take it into their heads to enact discriminatory legislation. Nor may churches insist on a religious interpretation of marriage, as if they owned the institution.

from James Fenton: London Evening Standard: When will Barack Obama come out in favour of gay marriage?

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