While neither side may like the court's ruling, planning ways to sabotage the supreme authority in the land crosses a dangerous line. Without a controlling legal authority, executives or legislators could trample on citizens' constitutional rights. When the court rules, our system doesn't permit deliberate and provocative attempts to flaunt the court's authority. Bitter partisanship can't undermine the independence of the federal and state judiciaries to resolve disputes. Baker's open invitation to Republican legislators to undermine the Florida Supreme Court's ruling is one step removed from sending in troops to seize control.
Courts routinely revise, modify and reconcile laws to improve the public interest.
No matter how hard to swallow, thumbing your nose at the high court's ruling is a direct and provocative threat on the rule of law. It's not the executive or legislature's place to defy court orders, even where they voice strong disagreements. Slobodan Milsosevic and Saddam Hussein aren't bound by the rule of law, only by the power of brute force to maintain tyrannical control. Defying the Supreme Court is one small step removed from calling in the military to secure political ends. Pursuing a blinding quest for the White House shouldn't trash our system of government, regardless of the outcome.