Justices Sotomayor, Gorsuch Warn That Divisions Threaten U.S. Democracy

  • Supreme Court justices talk civics in joint appearance
  • The times are both scary and exciting, Sotomayor says

Supreme Court Justices arrive for the 59th presidential inauguration in Washington on Jan. 20, 2021. 

Photographer: Patrick Semansky/AP Photo
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Two U.S. Supreme Court justices of opposing philosophies called for a return to civil discourse, warning that societal divisions and the spread of false information via social media pose a threat to American democracy.

In a recorded event released Wednesday and sponsored by the Center for Strategic & International Studies, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch lamented the nation’s collective inability to listen to one another, calling it a national security threat in a politically fractious time.