I protest the idea that the outcome of the popular vote precludes the need for continued discussion about Proposition 8.

The argument that judicial review of the proposition and its legality usurps democratic process is based on a flawed understanding of our nation's system of protections for every citizen.

The United States is a democratic republic, not a simple democracy. The judicial branch of the government was designed in large part to protect us from unlawfulness in "majority rules" and historically has been necessary in advancing the rights of minorities and the underrepresented.

Without the intervention of the government, slaves would not have been emancipated, women and black people's right to vote would have been delayed, and our second amendment right to bear arms could be threatened.

As strongly as some people may feel about keeping marriage traditionally defined, Prop. 8 is about much more than that, and the outcome in this debate affects each individual's rights more than they may understand.

Prop. 8 would remove a right that had already been granted by the state. This is a serious civil liberties issue. Mob rule could remove rights from any one of us.

Thank goodness America was designed not on majority rules, but on the election of officials by the majority to protect the rights of the minority.

And yes, because a morality issue that may have no standing in constitutionality was placed on the ballot, the fight to protect rights could cost the state money.

The best of America's system of law is represented in the continuing discourse about this proposition and in the potential for its review by appointed judges, who are more expert than we are in interpreting the Constitution.

If your personal liberties were threatened by majority rules, certainly you would appreciate that the process doesn't stop there—it isn't intended to.

For sake of comparison, imagine that you are convicted of a crime you didn't commit.

Wouldn't you not only utilize but praise the opportunity to appeal, instead of complaining that "the jury has spoken"? And aren't our rights as valuable as our tax dollars?

Regardless of how you voted or how you feel about gay marriage, please understand that questioning the legality of the vote in no way disrespects the law—it is a vital part of the process of the law. Danay Miller Simi Valley