Half the states have stopped making civics and government a requirement for high school. Half.

O’Connor is sounding an alarm about civic illiteracy and the weakening of democratic habits. By stressing “Half” twice, she underscores both the scale of the problem and her disbelief that such a foundational subject could be treated as optional. The remark fits her long-running post–Supreme Court advocacy for stronger civic education (including efforts like iCivics), grounded in the idea that constitutional democracy depends on citizens who understand governmental structure, rights, and responsibilities. Implicitly, she links declining civics requirements to lower voter competence, increased susceptibility to misinformation, and diminished public trust in institutions—problems that cannot be solved by courts alone.