Civics In A Year
What do you really know about American government, the Constitution, and your rights as a citizen?
Civics in a Year is a fast-paced podcast series that delivers essential civic knowledge in just 10 minutes per episode. Over the course of a year, we’ll explore 250 key questions—from the founding documents and branches of government to civil liberties, elections, and public participation.
Rooted in the Civic Literacy Curriculum from the Center for American Civics at Arizona State University, this series is a collaborative project supported by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. Each episode is designed to spark curiosity, strengthen constitutional understanding, and encourage active citizenship.
Whether you're a student, educator, or lifelong learner, Civics in a Year will guide you through the building blocks of American democracy—one question at a time.
Civics In A Year
Breaking Barriers: Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's Legacy
Few Americans have transformed our nation's trajectory quite like Sandra Day O'Connor. Born on an Arizona ranch where she learned resilience and grit, her journey to becoming the first woman on the Supreme Court reveals both personal determination and the evolving story of American democracy itself.
Sandra Day grew up on the 200,000-acre Lazy Bee Ranch, developing problem-solving skills and persistence that would define her remarkable career. Despite graduating third in her class from Stanford Law School, every law firm refused to hire her while readily employing her husband. Undeterred, she volunteered without pay at a city attorney's office just to practice law. This determination propelled her through glass ceiling after glass ceiling—from becoming the first female majority leader in any American state legislature to her historic appointment to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1981.
When women across America heard the news of her nomination, many pulled their cars to the roadside, overcome with emotion. For thirteen years, she served as the sole woman on the Court, navigating an institution not designed for women—working without a desk and in a building without appropriate restrooms. Yet her impact extended globally as countries worldwide began appointing women to their highest courts following her example. After retirement, Justice O'Connor channeled her energy into strengthening democratic foundations through civic education initiatives, recognizing that informed citizenship forms the backbone of our constitutional republic. The Sandra Day O'Connor Institute continues this work today, offering resources for teachers and citizens across all fifty states.
What civic education have you received? How might our democracy be different had Sandra Day O'Connor never broken those barriers? Visit civicsforlife.org to discover resources that honor her legacy by strengthening our shared democratic values.
Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum!
School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership
Wonderful Okay.
Speaker 2:Welcome back to Civics. In a Year. Today we are honoring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and today is Sandra Day O'Connor Day here in the state of Arizona. Justice O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, a trailblazer in law and public service, anda lifelong champion for civic education. In today's episode, I am joined by Sarah Suggs, President and CEO of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute here in Arizona, and we're going to talk about her Arizona roots, her groundbreaking career and why her legacy continues to shape how we think about democracy today. So, Sarah, thank you so much for being here. My first question Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, but she also has deep Arizona roots. Can you share a little bit about her story and why her career was so groundbreaking?
Speaker 1:Yes, and thank you for having me today. Liz Well, Sandra Day grew up on the Lazy Bee Ranch in southeastern Arizona, roughly 200,000 acres that span Arizona and New Mexico. She lived so far from school that her parents sent her to live in El Paso with her grandparents so that she could receive her education. She graduated at the age of 16 from her high school and all her life the only university she heard her father talk about was Stanford, so that's the one university she applied. She was accepted at a very young age and went on to become a very top student.
Speaker 1:I think her background at the Lazy Bee was really profound in helping to shape not just her character but her grit and resilience.
Speaker 1:Finding a way for solutions, working with the cowboys, going out on trail rides, standing up to harsh elements those things helped form her character, I believe, and as she went on through her career, starting with her graduation from law school, where she was third in her character, I believe, and as she went on through her career, starting with her graduation from law school, where she was third in her class but couldn't be hired by any law firm in the Bay Area, her husband, John, was accepted at a prestigious firm but she couldn't find a place to work. So she somehow managed to connect with the city manager of San Mateo excuse me, the city attorney and convinced him to let her volunteer. So she worked for no pay, just so that she could practice law, and eventually he found a stipend to pay her and she worked right next to his secretary and that's how she got her start. But again, it goes back to finding a way, figuring out a solution and not giving up. Thank you.
Speaker 2:And she, you know, goes on to be a huge part of our state government the only woman to serve in all three branches, or the only person? Is it the only person to serve in all three branches of a state government?
Speaker 1:founding. She was in the executive branch in the 1960s as an assistant attorney general, and then, of course, she went on to the legislature where she served as a senator and majority leader, elected by her colleagues and the first woman in America to serve as majority leader for any state house in the country. And then, of course, governor Babbitt Bruce Babbitt tapped her into the judicial branch and the rest, as they say, is history.
Speaker 2:And she has an amazing you know career with the Supreme Court, but after retiring, she dedicated herself to civic education and advancing American democracy. Why do you think she saw educating young people as such an important part of her legacy?
Speaker 1:Well, for those of us who grew up with a civics education every day in the classroom, it's hard to fathom not having that subject and becoming an adult and a voting citizen and not understanding the foundations of our government, how it works, and your civic responsibilities as a citizen. So she has, as you know, championed two non-profits, iCivics and the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute, which was originally founded as O'Connor House in 2009. And that was a movement to save her historic home from demolition, and it's now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but after that was completed. Movement to save her historic home from demolition, and it's now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but after that was completed. She, in 2015, gave the Institute the charge to focus on three areas civic education, civil discourse and civic engagement, all as infrastructure so essential to upholding our nation's constitutional republic.
Speaker 2:And I do want to say the Sandra J O'Connor Institute has I mean, they have a website. I know there's really great policy briefs, even though this is an Arizona-based place. There is stuff for teachers around the nation. There's a lot of things. So I do want to make sure that anybody listening to this right now understands that, although the Sandra J O'Connor Institute is housed here in Arizona we are very, very proud of that there is stuff for anybody on the website which will be in our show notes.
Speaker 1:Oh, without a doubt, and thanks for bringing that up, we have an office in Washington DC at the Barry O'Connor Building. We also sponsor a fellowship for third-year law students at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. We have participants in all of our programs from all 50 states in the nation, and our resources for all multi-generations are available through our civicsforlifeorg website. Through our civicsforlifeorg website.
Speaker 2:I love that. So Arizona celebrates Sandra Day O'Connor Day. This was actually something that former Governor Doug Ducey had instituted, and then civic groups. We just continue. September 25th is an important day here in Arizona. What does this day mean for our state and for the nation when we think about her impact on civic life?
Speaker 1:Well, Well, when Governor Ducey issued the proclamation and we were there it was a proud day. The law or the day requires that a good portion of the day be devoted to civic education in the classroom and we hope that Arizona honors that for its students. It's rare in the country to have such a day, but in Arizona we're privileged to have that and it's continued on with Governor Hobbs, thankfully. So what it means is not just recognizing that Sandra Day O'Connor was a giant, not just Arizona but for the nation. When they heard that President Ronald Reagan nominated her to the Supreme Court of the United States, they had to pull over to the side of the road because they were crying.
Speaker 1:It opened doors to women in law that, and for 13 years roughly 12 to 13 years she was the sole woman on the Supreme Court. She didn't have a desk. When she got there she sat on the floor with one of her clerks and went through briefs. The restrooms were all for men. I mean the things that she went through again, the grit from the lazy bee just forge ahead and go on. But she also opened the door for women around the world and courts and countries across the globe said look at what the United States did. Maybe we should do that too. And indeed we've seen that women advance to the highest levels of the judiciary around the world, and it's because of Sandra Day O'Connor.
Speaker 2:Yes, and we are so proud to have her. As an Arizonan and I know that you had a close personal relationship with late justice. I got to meet her plenty of times and she genuinely was a champion for civic education advancing American democracy. So, sarah Suggs, thank you so much for being on our Civics in a Year podcast and celebrating Justice O'Connor with me.
Speaker 1:Thank you for the honor.
