Justice Sotomayor warns Americans may not know difference between presidents and kings

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Tuesday raised concerns about civic understanding in America, questioning whether citizens have been clearly taught the difference between a president and a king.

Speaking at New York Law School, Sotomayor urged greater civic involvement and lamented what she described as a lack of public knowledge about fundamental aspects of U.S. law and government.

“Do we understand what the difference is between a king and president?” Sotomayor asked. “I think if people understood these things from the beginning, they would be more informed as to what would be important in a democracy in terms of what people can or should not do.”

Sotomayor did not directly address President Donald Trump or the criticism of his efforts to expand executive power. However, the Supreme Court is currently weighing appeals over Trump’s authority to impose tariffs, fire leaders of independent agencies, and redirect federal spending approved by Congress.

Sotomayor, nominated by President Barack Obama, has often dissented in such cases. In a dissent last year, she warned of the dangers of unchecked presidential authority after the court granted Trump broad immunity for actions taken in office. “In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law,” she wrote.

Her remarks Tuesday largely focused on the importance of civic education. Reflecting on her own schooling, Sotomayor said classes often covered only the basics of government structure but left out the deeper principles motivating it.

“What they didn’t teach back then was the principles that motivated the structure of government,” Sotomayor said. Schools, she added, “really didn’t explain, in more than a cursory way, what the functions were between the branches and what the expectations were of service in government.”

Credit: CNN Newsource

Explore: NBCPalmSprings.com, where we are connecting the Valley.