Supreme Court Justice Warns Freedom at Risk as Civics Knowledge Plummets

Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch appeared on Fox News on Thursday morning to discuss his new children’s book, The Heroes of 1776, but the interview shifted to broader concerns about civic understanding in the United States.

Gorsuch said a lack of basic knowledge about the nation’s founding principles represents a serious threat to the country.

Gorsuch noted that many Americans would be unable to pass the civics test required of foreigners seeking to legally immigrate to the United States.

He said this gap in understanding poses long-term risks for the country and echoed themes he has raised previously regarding civic education.

The Federalist reported on the interview and highlighted Gorsuch’s comments about the importance of shared history, rights, and responsibilities.

While speaking with Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones, Gorsuch discussed a passage from his book that reads, “The Constitution established the first modern republic in which people rule themselves …”

He connected the idea to the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence.

Gorsuch said the Declaration “contains three ‘radical’ ideas: that we’re all created equal, that we have unalienable rights that come to us from God [and] not from government, and that we the people have a right to rule ourselves — not be subjects to some dictator or a crown or king.”

He said these concepts “really shook old Europe” because they had never been implemented on such a scale before.

“We now almost take them for granted. They’re the air we breathe, the water we swim in,” Gorsuch said.

He added that the ideas required the efforts of the men, women, and children who lived during the Revolutionary War, and that Americans today have their own responsibility to preserve them.

Gorsuch cited Thomas Jefferson’s view that civic ignorance jeopardizes liberty, saying, “Thomas Jefferson said an ignorant people will never remain free for long, and he’s right. We need to know our history in order to preserve it.”

During the interview, Gorsuch pointed to educational challenges facing the country, including the declining civic knowledge highlighted by national testing results.

He said that the failure to teach foundational principles leaves future generations without the tools needed to understand the structure of the republic or the rights it protects.

BREAKING: Conservative Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch says schools MUST bring back a focus to American civics education and the Founders

The Democrats did a great job purging all of that.

“The greatest danger America faces? Itself.”

“Over half of Americans can’t pass… pic.twitter.com/igSf8GxZGm

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 13, 2025

The Federalist reported that Gorsuch has spoken on these concerns frequently and has emphasized the need for renewed attention to civic literacy.

His book, released this month, introduces children to figures from the Revolutionary War, including both well-known and lesser-known participants in the fight for independence.

Gorsuch said he hopes the book will spark interest in the country’s founding era and help address gaps in historical understanding.

The Fox News segment also referenced broader public discussions about how schools approach civics, with concerns raised about whether students receive adequate instruction on the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the events surrounding the founding of the United States.

The final line of the report stated that the public education system is supposed to address these shortcomings but is “obviously failing at that task,” reflecting criticism voiced in ongoing debates about educational standards.

The interview marked one of Gorsuch’s recent public appearances focused on civic education, a topic he has addressed in speeches, writings, and previous interviews.