Just Because a Majority Votes for Bigotry Doesn't Make It Right, or Legal

New Jersey's Macy's Parade Balloon of a Governor, Chris Christie, said:

 "I think people would have been happy to have a referendum on civil rights rather than fighting and dying in the streets in the South."

Apparently, the Governor is unaware of the fact that any such referendum in the south would have resulted in the continuation of Jim Crow (see the election of Wallace as proof). Apparently, he's not talking about the black people, who were doing most of the fighting and dying, since they obviously wouldn't have been happy to have a referendum where the white majority voted to continue Jim Crow.

Corey Booker, the mayor of Newark, NJ, had this to say in response:

 But dear God, we should not be putting civil rights issues to a popular vote, to be subject to the sentiments, the passions of the day. No minority should have their rights subject to the passions and sentiments of the majority. This is a fundamental bedrock of what our nation stands for.
I get very concerned that we have created in our state, and we refuse to address and call it like it is, that we’ve created a second-class citizenship in our state. That’s what we have in America right now, we have two classes of citizenship.  Jackie Robinson said the right of every American to first-class citizenship is the most important issue of our time.
…
I read the 14th Amendment clearly. It talks about equal protection under the laws, and that was never something that should go out to a popular vote, whether blacks, women or other minorities should be equal, first-class citizens.

I wonder if Governor Christie would be so eager to put a referendum to the people on treating overweight white guys as second class citizens?