Sandra Day O' Connor unveils video game
Jun 5, 2008
The first female justice of the Supreme Court is adding another first to her long list of accomplishments: she's making her first video game.
Speaking at the Games for Change conference on Wednesday, O' Connor announced her involvement in the development of an online civics game. Dubbed "Our Courts," the game hopes to teach kids how courts work and will be distributed freely online.
O' Connor believes children are woefully uneducated about civics and hopes to reach them through a fun, contemporary medium.
"Only one-third of Americans can name the three branches of government," she said, "but two-thirds can name a judge on American Idol...we are going to use what we know about young people's enthusiasm for arguing things, and for problem solving, to get them into the game."
Part of O'Connor's interest in developing a game stems from her concern with recent criticism aimed at judges, citing "vitriolic attacks" by members of Congress and special interest groups that has made it increasingly difficult for the judiciary to remain independent.
The solution, she believes, is through public education.
"We can't forget that the primary purpose of public schools in America is to produce citizens who have the skills and knowledge to sustain our form of government," she said. "Public education is the only long-term solution to preserving an independent judiciary and constitutional democracy."
Due out in September of 2009, "Our Courts" lets players tackle real-world legal battles from different perspectives. As an example, O' Connor mentioned the famous 2007 First Amendment case "Morse vs. Frederick" in which a student was suspended for holding a banner reading 'BONG HiTS 4 JESUS' during the Winter Olympics torch relay.
As for her new career move, O' Connor is just as surprised as the rest of us.
"If you had told me when I retired from the Supreme Court, just about two years ago, that I would today be speaking at a digital game conference, I would have been very skeptical. I'd maybe think you had had one drink too many."
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