I had become increasingly concerned in recent years about the lack of civics education in our nation’s schools. In recent years, the schools have stopped teaching it. And it’s unfortunate.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNORI think people know very little, really, about the court, how it works and its history. And both of those things are important in our country, but they’re not things that most citizens know much about.
More Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes
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Each justice hires their own clerks, and applications are made individually to the justices. It isn’t a group decision.
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I do not believe it is the function of the judiciary to step in and change the law because the times have changed. I do well understand the difference between legislating and judging. As a judge, it is not my function to develop public policy.
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Historically courts in this country have been insulated. We do not look beyond our borders for precedents.
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I’m not on the court anymore, so no use looking for my philosophy. If somebody’s waiting for that, they can wait for another justice.
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The unhappy persistence of both the practice and the lingering effects of racial discrimination …is an unfortunate reality…and the government is not disqualified from acting in response to it.
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I think people know very little, really, about the court, how it works and its history. And both of those things are important in our country, but they’re not things that most citizens know much about.
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(W)e do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment.
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I think most people didn’t want to do court duty.
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The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy.
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We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.
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The power I exert on the court depends on the power of the power of my arguments, not my gender
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It matters enormously to a successful democratic society like ours that we have three branches of government, each with some independence and some control over the other two. Thats set out in the Constitution.
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I sort of thought the framers of the Constitution were talking about the rights of individuals, not corporate entities.
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What was a problem was the excessive amount of media attention to the appointment of the first woman and everything she did. Everywhere that Sandra went, the press was sure to go. And that got tiresome; it was stressful.
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I loved my husband very much, and it was heartbreaking to have him develop Alzheimer’s disease, and to stand by and watch him decline in his ability to take care of himself.
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