Few people in the United Kingdom are aware that the country has a Supreme Court. In truth very few Brits have any real understanding of the constitution. After all it's hard getting your head round anything that isn't actually written down anywhere!
The Supreme Court is the latest addition to our unwritten constitution and was established by the last government. They had the bizarre idea that it actually wasn't a very good idea for the highest court of the land to be a part of the Upper Chamber of the Legislature. It was a revolutionary idea, or it would have been in 1776.
Today the new court proved its worth with a landmark decision for gay rights that will transform the lives of thousands of gay men and women.
The Court was considering a case brought by the United Nation High Commisoner on Refugees on behalf of two men whose applications for asylum on the grounds of their sexuality had been rejected. The BBC describes the background.
The applicant from Cameroon, who is only identified as HT, had been told he should relocate elsewhere in his country and be "more discreet" in future. He had been attacked by an angry mob at home after being seen kissing his partner. He has been fighting removal from the UK for the past four years...
The other application was from a 31-year-old Iranian gay man, who was attacked and expelled from school when his homosexuality was discovered. Like HT, he had been told he could be "reasonably expected to tolerate" conditions back home that would require him to be discreet and avoid persecution.
Punishment for homosexual acts ranges from public flogging to execution in Iran, and in Cameroon jail sentences for homosexuality range from six months to five years.
It is hard to imagine the desperation these two men and thousands like them must feel. The Supreme Court had that imagination. The five judges unanimously ruled in the UNHCR and the men's favour. Here is the key part of the judgement.
"To compel a homosexual person to pretend that his sexuality does not exist or suppress the behaviour by which to manifest itself is to deny his fundamental right to be who he is. Homosexuals are as much entitled to freedom of association with others who are of the same sexual orientation as people who are straight."
The ruling was welcomed by the new Conservative Home Secretary Thersa May.
"I do not believe it is acceptable to send people home and expect them to hide their sexuality to avoid persecution. From today, asylum decisions will be considered under the new rules and the judgment gives an immediate legal basis for us to reframe our guidance for assessing claims based on sexuality, taking into account relevant country guidance and the merits of each individual case."
A comment like that from a Conservative will probably suprise some Americans but the Conservatives used their support for gay rights during the recent election as proof that their party had changed and had ditched social conservatism.
That's not the end of the good news. The EU is currently harmonising its rules on immigration and asylum issues. The upholding of the UNHCR's interpretation of the rights of gay asylum seekers by the UK Supreme Court makes it almost certain that the same rules will be applied by all EU member states.
BBC News has videos of the judgement and an interview with HT.
It looks like having a Supreme Court is a pretty neat idea. It's amazing no one thought of it before.