Righeimer Needs a History Lesson

* Re “GOP Candidates Sue Over Lost Primaries,” July 12: In arguing that he should be declared the winner of the March 7 Republican primary for the 67th Assembly District following the Supreme Court’s recent decision throwing out the blanket primary, Jim Righeimer is quoted as reasoning, “The Supreme Court said that slavery was unconstitutional, and so you can’t go in and argue, ‘But I paid for my slave fair and square.’ Or that ‘I paid cash for my slave.’ ”

Perhaps Righeimer should spend some time in a remedial American history class before he seeks an office in which he would set education policy for California’s students. In such a class, he would learn that slavery became unconstitutional not because the Supreme Court said so, but because of the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865. In fact, the Supreme Court upheld the practice of slavery in its infamous 1856 Dred Scott decision.

BEN SHEFFNER

Newport Beach