Law School Dean Says US Is Nation of ‘Constitutional Illiterates’
The founding dean of a new law school is citing statistics to support his conclusion that Americans deserve a failing grade for their knowledge of the Constitution.
J. Michael Johnson, the founding dean of the Louisiana College Judge Paul Pressler School of Law, said Thursday that Americans have abandoned constitutional values, TheTownTalk.com reports.
The United States has “sadly become a nation of constitutional illiterates,” Johnson said. He cited statistics showing that 71 percent of Americans would fail a civics test, while 92 percent of immigrants would pass.
Today is Constitution Day, commemorating the signing the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787, according to an ABA press release.
ABA President Stephen N. Zack says in the release that he hopes to “bring back civic education.” Toward that end, he established an ABA Commission on Civic Education on the Nation’s Schools last month. It will develop a civics and law curriculum for teens and create a national civics test to survey Americans’ understanding of the Constitution.
