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
President s it established and the legacies that left. There is a strong case to be made that november 11, the day that a battered square rigor called the mayflower made safe harbor in a place near what is today in massachusetts. That day should be one of the greatest moments in our national theory, comparable to fourth of july, independence day, and september 17, constitution day. But let me qualify that statement a little bit. As ourk of the pilgrims forebears and we are right to do so but it is important to remember they and the other new puritans that were selling new england at the time did not imagine they were settling establishing the United States of america. Nothing could have been further from their minds. They were doing something entirely different. They were about the business of establishing a place where they could enjoy a pure and uncorrupted church. The early settlers of virginia were motivated by material considerations they wanted, what the spaniards wanted from the
We think of the pilgrims as our forbearers and we have a right to do so but it is important to remember they and the other new englanders settling at the time did not imagine they were settling United States of america. Nothing could have been further from their minds. They were doing something entirely different. They were about the business of establishing a place where they could enjoy a pure and uncorrupted church. The settlers of virginia were motivated by material considerations, gold, wealth, material wealth. The settlers of new england were driven by religious zeal. Most of them were puritans, men and women of a company spent who believed the church of england had not gone far enough to purge itself of its corrupt aspects and would despair of a cleansing renewal ever coming in their lifetimes, and hence their decision to emigrate to the new beginning. In particular were not only calvinists but separatists, meaning they had separated themselves from the aurch of england as they
Of columbia circuit. A position he was appointed to a 1986 by president Ronald Reagan. He served as ahief judge of 2001 until 2008. In 1987, speing of judge ginsburg present ragan said he believes as i d that the proper role of the judiciary is to interpret the ross laws not make them. He bieves that inur democracy is for the elect representatives of the people to mak the laws. And the judges must never attempt to substitute their private will for t will of the people. You see, judge ginsburg remembers as i do the warning of james mattis the dissent for which theonstitution was accepted and ratied by the nati is not the guide to expounding a there can be no security for the faithful ercise of the powers. Judge ginsburgs got on to write many books for the cotitution. His newest book voices of our republic is a companion peace to his threepart a me elect perfect unit which shelso talks about this today. This is of our public features about the constitution personalities dignitaries and e