Some folks get ticked when a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court cites foreign law, say a decision of the high court in the Union of South Africa on the juvenile death penalty, race relations, gender equality, and the like.
Who are they to tell us how to live?
Who left them in charge?
Are they morally superior?
Are we no longer God's Chosen People?
Oops! Excuse me. Those are the Jews, not to be confused with the Israelis, where the jury of angels is still out, especially among the Palestinians who thought it was the British and the U.S. who did the choosing, neither to be confused with the Almighty.
Maybe parts of the world bought our moral superiority when we were going great guns on civil rights, say around the time of Shelley v. Kramer (1948), holding unconstitutional state enforcement of racially restrictive covenants in title deeds to land, and in Brown v. Board (1954), holding unconstitutional segregation by race in public elementary schools.
On the walls or cornices of the Supreme Court building are images of the worlds great lawgivers, including Hammurabi, Moses, and (I think) Solon, Draco and other worthies. Draco? From whence Draconian? I dunno, I saw this in Buckley's 'Supreme Courtship,' a funny novel on appointment to the court of a popular TV judge who had the advantage of being confirmable after two real judges weren't.
The Ten Commandments. Foreign law?
British common law. Foreign?
Jesus: "Do unto others..." Foreign law? Let's see, in which state was Jesus born?
Arkansas! You goddit.
At any rate, the article below discusses the subject with more intelligence, courtesy of a faithful reader, to whom I send a big thank you, indeed. And please give a big kiss to my grand-daughters.