Crisis of knowledge: the importance of educating the public about the role of fair and impartial courts in our system of government.

• Author: Levenstein, Richard H.
• Position: Cover story

The United States is suffering from a significant and widespread adult civics education deficit. This deficit has resulted in a large-scale lack of knowledge and skills on the part of the adult population in the areas of civics and government, and perhaps most importantly, with respect to the existence of, purpose for, and workings of the judicial branch of government.

A July 2014 survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center showed that only 36 percent of those surveyed could name all three branches of the U.S. government, while an almost equal number at 35 percent could not name even one. Only 27 percent of Americans know that it takes a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate to override a presidential veto, and one-in-five Americans (21 percent) incorrectly thinks that a 5-4 Supreme Court decision is sent back to Congress for reconsideration. (1)

Likewise, the American public's perception of their government, including the judicial branch, is in significant decline. While Americans' trust in the judiciary is still higher than that of either the executive or legislative branches of government, two recent polls show that the public's perception of the judicial branch is nonetheless at a record low. According to a September 18, 2015, Gallup poll, Americans' trust in the judiciary has sunk to a new low of 53 percent, down from 76 percent as recently as 2009. (2) Similarly, pursuant to a July 29, 2015, Pew Research Center poll, (3) the unfavorable impression of the Supreme Court is 43 percent, the highest number recorded in 30 years.

In past years, many states have deemphasized the teaching of civics and government in middle schools and high schools. Therefore, students who attended schools where civics and government was deemphasized are necessarily, naturally, and unfortunately part of the civics education deficit in the U.S. More recently, we have seen advancements in public policy nationwide pertaining to civics and government in the classroom. Presently, Florida serves as a model in such policies. Seventh grade students in Florida's public schools must take a mandatory civics class as well as an end-of-course exam due to passage of middle school reform legislation. Thus, while progress is being made, our country still faces many challenges in securing a civic-minded and educated populace.

In December 2005, The Florida Bar commissioned a Harris Interactive Poll of Florida (4) adults to test the knowledge of Florida's adult population of their government and how it operates. Some of the results of that poll follow:

* The majority of Florida adults were only aware of some of the basic structures of government.

* Less than six in 10 adult Floridians could correctly identify the three branches of government--18 percent incorrectly said "local, state, and federal"; 16 percent...