Retired U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor took an unusual step yesterday: speaking at the Games For Change conference, she unveiled a forthcoming video game called Our Courts designed to teach young people about the U.S. justice system and the role of the judiciary in the three-branch system of U.S. government. Developed by Georgetown University’s law school and Arizona State University, the free online game will be unveiled in two phases: the first will be an online civics program aimed at grades 7–9, while the second will be a more gaming-driven offering designed to engage young people in their free time.
Our Courts should have some material available online by this September (in time for the start of the school year), with the interactive elements available within a year.
Saying she never expected to be presenting at a conference on digital media, O’Connor cited "increasingly vitriolic attacks on the Judiciary" as one of her motiviations for getting involved with the game’s development, with politicians in both the executive and legislative branches increasingly eroding the role and responsibilities of the judiciary branch to further their own political agendas. O’Connor sees public education as the best hope for preserving an impartial judiciary. The game will try to raise awareness of civil rights and judiciary power as it engages young people in real-life scenarios and examples of issues before the courts that impact students’ real lives in school. Asked to give an example, O’Connor cited a scenario where a school tries to stop students from wearing a T-shirt with a controversial design—a setup designed to spark debate about free speech and the First Amendment.
O’Connor said that watching her own grandchildren use technology helped convinced her video game technology might be a good way to inspire children to learn. But asked what video games she enjoyed, O’Connor admitted she doesn’t play video games.
O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan, and was its first female justice. She served from 1981 until her retirement in 2006.
