The NH Humanities Council invites you to come out on Constitution Day, Sept. 17, to hear retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor speak.
O’Connor will be appearing at Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, introduced by her friend and fellow Supreme Court Justice David Souter. O’Connor will deliver the William W. Treat Lecture and her topic, “The State of Democracy in America Today,” will serve as the animating idea for the second year of Constitutionally Speaking, an initiative that invites the public, teachers, and students to consider and thoughtfully discuss our rights and responsibilities as citizens.
Justice O’Connor’s talk is offered free to the public as a result of a generous grant from the William W. Treat Foundation to the NH Institute for Civic Education. While the event is free, tickets are required. Reserve your seats on the Capitol Center for the Arts website Learn more about this event and other aspects of Constitutionally Speaking on the project website. Click here for tickets.
Sandra Day O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas. She received her B.A. and LL.B. from Stanford University. In 1975 she was elected Judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court and served until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. President Reagan nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court, and she took her seat September 25, 1981. Justice O’Connor retired from the Supreme Court on January 31, 2006. Following her retirement from the Court, Justice O’Connor has continued her judicial service by hearing cases in the United
States Courts of Appeals. In recognition of her lifetime accomplishments, President
Barack Obama awarded Justice O’Connor with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on August 12, 2009.
Constitutionally Speaking aims to promote meaningful civics education in New Hampshire schools and spirited, yet civil, dialogue about the nation’s founding document among the state’s citizens. The coming year will include symposia at the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership, and Public Policy at UNH School of Law in November and at the NH Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College in February featuring constitutional scholars and civic leaders in Ted-X style presentations; an interscholastic conference for high school students organized by the NH Humanities Council in November; a major address at the Capitol Center for the Arts in May; and the development of a DVD and study guide for NH teachers incorporating highlights from the year’s programming.
