At the ronalreagan president ial Foundation Institute it is my honor to have judge ginsburg with us was the chief judge on the dc circuit 2001 through 2008 and on the court working with the Reagan Administration top bar and Harvard University of chicago columbia we are excited to talk about this project you have been working on. Amazon video series more or less perfect union. So what was it that made you want to do that . Thank you for asking. This is addressed to a crisis in our Education System in the us now. And those that have been neglected graduating each year from high school never exposed to how the Government Works what the constitution says and the National Values are and simply we cannot have that functioning democratic republic with a completely ignorant population but we are headed in that direction. I am doing is part of a broader reaction to that with Civics Education Sandra Day Oconnor started the ball rolling him and to create educational materials and to distribute so
Of things. Its both available on amazon prime, a video series called a more or less perfectunion. As well as a companion book. If i can ask you judge ginsburg what was it that made you want to do this . Thank you tony for asking. This is addressed to what i think is a real crisis in our Education System in the us now. In that civics is not being taught as nearly and widely as it should be. Even American History is often neglected. So we have millions of students graduating each year from high school who have never been exposed to how our government works, what our constitution says. What our National Values are even. The younger person is these days, the more ignorant they are likely to be on these topics and we simply cannot have a functioning democratic republic with a completely ignorant population but we are heading in that direction. And i am, what im doing is part of a broader reaction to that in civics education. I think Sandra Day Oconnor started the ball rolling a dozen years
What we were going through then as comparison to whats happening now and also some of the lessons that were learned. Lets start with the court itself in 2000. The Rehnquist Court. Nine members of the court and seven of them have been appointed by republican president s. But how do they align ideologically . David its sort of a 54 conservative court. Rehnquist was a leader. Justice scalia was a prominent figure. It leans right. There were several moderate republicans. John stephens, david souter and Ruth Ginsburg and stephen breyer, four on the left. So it leaned conservative. But it was also an interesting you know, the court the court is never 100 predictable. I found that Justice Kennedy and Justice Oconnor were middle of the road conservatives. And you could not predict them in all sorts of cases. Susan would you say a bit more about the chief Justice William rehnquist and his approach to leading the court . David well, he had, you know, he had been on the court for a lot of years b
As comparison to whats happening now and also some of the lessons that were learned. Lets start with the court itself in 2000. The Rehnquist Court. Nine members of the court and seven of them have been appointed by republican president s. But how do they align ideologically . David its sort of a 54 conservative court. Rehnquist was a leader. Justice scalia was a prominent figure. It leans right. There were several moderate republicans. John stephens, david souter and Ruth Ginsburg and stephen breyer, four on the left. So it leaned conservative. But it was also an interesting you know, the court the court is never 100 predictable. I found that Justice Kennedy and Justice Oconnor were middle of the road conservatives. And you could not predict them in all sorts of cases. Susan would you say a bit more about the chief Justice William rehnquist and his approach to leading the court . David well, he had, you know, he had been on the court for a lot of years before he became a chief justice.
David savage, it is the 20th andversary of bush v gore here we are in the midst of sorting through another close election. We asked you because youve been covering this Supreme Court since 1986 to come back and look back in time with us at that 2000 election. What we were going through then as comparison to whats happening now and also some of the lessons that were learned. Lets start with the court itself in 2000. The Rehnquist Court. Nine members of the court and seven of them have been appointed by republican president s. But how do they align ideologically . David its sort of a 54 conservative court. Rehnquist was a leader. Justice scalia was a prominent figure. It leans right. There were several moderate republicans. John stephens, david souter and Ruth Ginsburg and stephen breyer, four on the left. So it leaned conservative. But it was also an interesting you know, the court the court is never 100 predictable. I found that Justice Kennedy and Justice Oconnor were middle of the ro