Do Tom DeLay and John Cornyn Hate Democracy?

US Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) joined the ranks of the insane yesterday with remarks before the Senate in which he suggested recent courthouse violence was a result of public distaste with liberal judges. The Washington Post reports:

"It causes a lot of people, including me, great distress to see judges use the authority that they have been given to make raw political or ideological decisions," he said. Sometimes, he said, "the Supreme Court has taken on this role as a policymaker rather than an enforcer of political decisions made by elected representatives of the people."

Cornyn continued: "I don't know if there is a cause-and-effect connection, but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. . . . And I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters, on some occasions, where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in, engage in violence.

You can view the remarks by clicking here.

None of the recent high profile incidents involving judges – like the tragic shootings in Atlanta last month – had anything to do with controversial political issues.

Cornyn made his remarks while criticizing the US Supreme Court for outlawing the execution of juveniles. Many Christian leaders hailed the court decision for stopping an unjust practice.

House Majority Tom Delay, Cornyn’s Republican colleague from Texas, made news last week after making statements that many took to be threats against judges involved in the Terri Schiavo case.

These remarks should be taken as direct threats to American democratic institutions.