Mark Shea has a post on the Massachusetts judge who convicted gay protestors of trespass, but refused to sentence them and apologized on behalf of the Catholic church for its purportedly narrow-minded attitude on homosexuality. This judicial conduct is entirely unjustifiable as a matter of law. I intend to post some commentary with case support after we get past the Columbia disaster. The Columbia disaster is tragically significant, but the idea that judges can extend or remove legal protections from citizens based on religious convictions may be even more significant over the long run.