The system is working.

Last week, the Kansas Court of Appeals found that a Douglas County district judge had been too lenient when she gave lightened sentences to two men convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl. The case was a key focal point in an effort to remove Judge Paula Martin from her post last November.

Those seeking not to retain Martin as a judge also thought she had been too lenient in her sentencing of the two men. They, no doubt, see the Court of Appeals decision as validation of their contention that Martin is an unfit judge. On the other hand, she could just be human.

Fortunately, our legal system doesn’t depend on judges or attorneys to be infallible. That’s why there is a system of appeals and judicial review. Even the most conscientious judge can have a lapse. It doesn’t mean he or she is a bad judge; it just means that a decision has failed to stand up on appeal.

The American legal system may not be perfect, but, in this case, it is working exactly as it should. The appeals court has determined that a mistake was made. That mistake can now be corrected.