So the damn activist judges on the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals — taking a break from ruling the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional, have ruled power lobbyist Harvey Whittemore and liquor distributor Larry Ruvo can build a 300-foot-long floating pier (with up to four boat lifts!) in front of property they own in Glenbrook at Lake Tahoe.

The pier has been controversial since 1999, when Whittemore tried to juice in permission to build the pier — despite opposition from a homeowners association and others — into a bill being considered by the Nevada Legislature. It must be nice, we thought at the time, to be part of a group so rich and so elite that whatever obstacles you encounter in your life can be erased by getting the Legislature to dance for you.

And the dancing continued, in the courts, for years. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency even came up with a plan this year to allow lots of new piers to be built on the lake, over the next 20 years, provided you’ve got $100,000 for a permit. (Whittemore and Ruvo spend that on their kept men and women in the Legislature, so why not a pretty pier?)

But now it looks like the system has spoken, and Harvey and his friend Larry get their own pier. They’ve contended they don’t have access to the community pier, so this will allow them to avoid mixing with the other millionaire property owners when spending weekends in Lake Tahoe, especially during the session, lifting glasses of Chardonnay and toasting the good life, as lawmakers bring them peeled grapes, wheels of cheese and perhaps a bit of caviar.

Then, the lawmakers can dance.