Pro-Choice Marchers

The editorial “A Major March” (April 11) missed the mark badly when it said, “ . . . The (Supreme) court must look beyond legal principle to tenable social policy and good sense. . . .” Wrong, wrong, wrong! That is precisely what it must not do. Deciding what laws make sense and are good social policy are not the constitutional function of the Supreme Court. That power resides in Congress.

The proper function of the Supreme Court is to decide, when cases are brought before it, whether the laws written by Congress are constitutional.

Congress is entrusted with making the laws, and for this reason the founders made the term of a congressman only two years. The idea was to make Congress responsive to the people. In contrast, the founders provided for Supreme Court justices to be appointed for life. This was intended to make them nonresponsive to the people, so they could avoid the influence of public hysteria and make wise decisions based solely on legal principles and the Constitution. To allow (or encourage) the Supreme Court to make laws is extremely dangerous. If they can make laws, there is no limit to their power and no way to get them out.

GEORGE L. CLARK SR.

Manhattan Beach