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We are worried, Justice Souter, and have been for quite sometime.
A democratic republic, let alone a healthy one, is impossible as long as there are large pockets of stupidity among the electorate.It is not only the right of every citizen but the responsibility of every citizen of voting age to educate themselves in the area of civics and government.
In a rare public appearance Saturday, retired Supreme Court Justice David Souter decried a "dangerous state of civic knowledge" in America, warning that a lack of proper civics education poses a threat to judicial independence.
"We know from survey results that two-thirds of people in the United States cannot even name all three branches of the national government," Souter said at the opening assembly of the American Bar Association's annual meeting. "This is something to worry about."
A soft-spoken orator, Souter's passion for this subject pierced his austere delivery as he recounted a youth spent learning about government by sitting in on meetings in the rectangular Town Hall of Weare, N.H. Wistfully, he noted: "If anyone had put the question to one of my 9th-grade classmates or to me -- what are the three branches of government? -- none of us would have failed to answer."
"We know from survey results that two-thirds of people in the United States cannot even name all three branches of the national government," Souter said at the opening assembly of the American Bar Association's annual meeting. "This is something to worry about."
A soft-spoken orator, Souter's passion for this subject pierced his austere delivery as he recounted a youth spent learning about government by sitting in on meetings in the rectangular Town Hall of Weare, N.H. Wistfully, he noted: "If anyone had put the question to one of my 9th-grade classmates or to me -- what are the three branches of government? -- none of us would have failed to answer."
Appointed as a Supreme Court justice in 1990 by President George Bush, Souter was expected to fall in line with the court's conservative wing. But he repeatedly voted along with the liberal justices, frustrating Republicans time and again.
His written opinions were rarely quotable or controversial, but he was respected by many as a careful and curious judge, a man known for a spartan lifestyle and an aversion to the trappings of technology.
After nearly two decades on the court, Souter stepped down in June. Judge Sonia Sotomayor was nominated to replace him by President Barack Obama, and she awaits a confirmation vote by the U.S. Senate.
After retiring, Souter began working with the New Hampshire Supreme Court Society task force to bolster civics education in the state's public schools. Souter's primary contention in his speech was that a populace uneducated about government can't possibly respect the importance of an independent judiciary.
"We must revive the basic civic knowledge that once came naturally to a teenage boy in a small town," he said.
rhuppke@tribune.com
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Let The Sun Shine In......
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