The Supreme Court of the United States, in a 5-4 vote, released its decision in the case of The District of Columbia v. Heller . This is indeed a long-awaited decision. The court basically holds that the Second Amendment means what it very plainly says -- something that a great number of Americans have known for more than 200 years.

The surprise is certainly not in the decision; more than 75 percent of the American public already clearly understood what the Second Amendment means. The surprise lies in the opinion of the four justices who dissented from the majority. Having spent the better part of a day reading in detail the 154-page document, including the dissenting opinions, I must admit to being taken aback by four of the weakest, most disingenuous and intellectually corrupt arguments that I have ever heard!

If one was ever somehow convinced that liberal, activist judges are acting out of intellectual and moral honesty, then a reading of the dissenting opinions in this case will immediately disabuse you of that conviction. Many in the legal profession suffer considerable derision for arguing plainly laughable positions.

Our next president will no doubt appoint one or more members of the Supreme Court. Intellectual honestly, rather that political persuasion, must prevail in these appointments.

Phillip A. Williams, Augusta