Honoring the Life and Legacy of Our Founder
As the nation mourns the passing of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court Justice, we remember her not only for her seminal work with the Court, but also as the founder of a movement to revitalize civic education. We at iCivics are honored and humbled to carry Justice O’Connor’s commitment to and passion for civic education forward into the future.
When Justice O’Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006 after nearly 25 years on the bench, her exemplary career was already the embodiment of civic engagement. An aspiring cattle rancher as a child, Justice O’Connor forged a legal career at a time when few women did, and served in all three branches of Arizona state government.
But, she wasn’t done yet.
Over the course of her career, Justice O’Connor grew concerned about a growing lack of understanding about our system of government and the disengagement that inevitably follows. Justice O’Connor founded iCivics in 2009 with the goal of transforming civic education through innovative, engaging games and resources.
Today, iCivics is the nation’s leading provider of and advocate for meaningful high-quality, nonpartisan civic education used by up to 145,000 educators to teach 9 million students in all 50 states.
Of all her accomplishments, Justice O’Connor considered iCivics to be her most important work and greatest legacy. Before she retired from public life in 2018, Justice O’Connor continued to call for the prioritization of civic education, remarking, “We must arm today’s young people with innovative civic education that is relevant to them. Bringing high-quality civics to every school in every state of our union is the only way that the next generations will become effective citizens and leaders.”
Reflections on Justice O’Connor Through the Years
Read iCivics’ official statement. To arrange an interview, please contact jacob@oneallen.com
Classroom Resources
iCivics and Seneca Women have partnered to produce a classroom lesson based on Justice O’Connor’s extraordinary life. Seneca Women is a global leadership platform dedicated to advancing women and girls to fast-forward us to a more equitable and prosperous world.