In Consideration of Other Views
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens recently gave a speech in which he defended his citation of foreign law in a recent court case banning execution of juveniles. He said that allowing U.S. courts to consider the views of other judges – including international jurists – while making a decision is a responsible practice.
One wonders how far this will go. For instance, best-selling writer and journalist Oriana Fallaci is standing trial in Italy on charges that she defamed Islam in a recent book:
In “La Forza della Ragione,” Fallaci wrote that terrorists had killed 6,000 people over the past 20 years in the name of the Koran and said the Islamic faith “sows hatred in the place of love and slavery in the place of freedom.” …
Grasso’s ruling homed in on 18 sentences in the book, saying some of Fallaci’s words were “without doubt offensive to Islam and to those who practice that religious faith.”
Given the liberal make-up of our judiciary, are they to consider the thought-police practices of ultra-politically correct Europe?
