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Justice O’Connor Imparts Invaluable Lessons to Northeast JSAers
Tuesday, 09 February 2010

By: Justin Fletcher


    Two-hundred and twenty Northeast JSAers traveled to the chamber of the Supreme Court on Friday, February 5, 2010,  during the NE Winter Congress to hear a speech from former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Justice O’Connor spoke about her history on the Court, the evolution of the Court, and students’ responsibilities to teach others about how government works, specifically to educate the youth.

    Justice O’Connor served on the Court from 1981 to 2006 and was the first female Supreme Court Justice. During her speech, she expressed her deep experience and palpable spirit. Her sassiness was exposed through her responses to the students’ questions, including light-hearted “That’s just a dumb question!” or “Absolutely not!” As she clicked her heels and rolled her eyes, she answered all the questions posed to her directly. The delegates were quick to laugh when she made her spunky responses.

Students had the opportunity to ask questions to the Justice. Eric Wessan from Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, asked about her thoughts regarding whether or not the Court partisanship affects the actions of the Court. She responded by saying that partisanship through Supreme Court nominations have surely played a role in the makeup of the court, even since George Washington’s presidency. In addition, Dylan Keegan from Horace Mann asked whether being the first female Supreme Court Justice affected her decisions on the Court. She responded to the heated question by saying that this landmark had an indelible impact on her decisions instinctually; however, it did not guide her decisions specifically.

A focus of Justice O'Connor's speech dealt with her desire to educate the youth of America on how government functions. She recently established www.ourcourts.org, a website that contains games, simulations, and other opportunities for the youth, mostly middle-school age, to learn about the nature of government. As she concluded her speech, she expressed hope that the Junior Statesmen would serve as her “ambassadors.” She hopes the Northeast JSAers will spread her message about the saliency of youth awareness about government to others.

Caela McCann from Staples High School had the opportunity to thank Justice O’Connor after her speech. She said, “I got to shake hands with one of the most influential women in American history. Her speech was completely reflective of her intelligence and how commanding she must have once been in a courtroom. It was truly an honor to meet such a role model.” In addition, Stacey Leiman from New Rochelle High school also commented, “She not only was one of the most incredible speakers I have ever seen at JSA, but she was also such an awesome person!”

Through hearing her speech and having the opportunity to ask questions, the delegates learned multitudes about the inner-workings of the Court works and how youth can spread the ideals of civic awareness to others. Evidently, the Northeast JSA delegates learned important lessons from Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.