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Law Is Not A Spectator Sport: Addressing Challenges Posed By Civic Education Through Public Engagement With The Supreme Court, Erica Lauren Bashaw

Journalism

Democracy relies on an informed and engaged citizenry. Low knowledge of public policy debates makes it difficult for government to meaningfully reflect the will of the people or for citizens to engage in fruitful public discussions. The discussions we manage to have about law and politics too often resemble a hyper-partisan cable news show rather than an honest effort at a conversation. In addition, many studies have suggested that, on the whole, Americans are not as informed about the courts as one would hope. This is especially true of the United States Supreme Court, which benefits from the “myth” that …