Chief justice honored with award for civics education

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye has been named the winner of the 2019 Sandra Day O'Connor Award for the Advancement of Civics Education by the National Center for State Courts.

The Virginia-based organization announced Wednesday it chose Cantil-Sakauye for her work on the issue, especially since being named chief justice in 2010. She worked with the state superintendent of public instruction to create a civic learning award to honor schools that offer civics education and spread successful teaching models.

She then organized civics summits in 2013 and 2017, bringing together leaders in multiple fields. These led to an influential 2014 report on civics education in California and to partnerships promoting civics education in schools. These are now active in 14 California counties.

According to a press release from the center, Cantil-Sakauye's work went beyond ideas and has "made a real impact." She will receive the award in Monterey in October at the annual meeting of the California Judges Association and California Lawyers Association.

"I'm honored to be named in an award that's given in the name of one of the country's legal pioneers," she told the Daily Journal in an email.

The award, now in its ninth year, is named after the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. After retiring in 2006, O'Connor worked with Georgetown University Law Center and Arizona State University to create the Our Courts project. In 2010, this became iCivics Inc., an organization that promotes civics education through a website and public events.

-- Malcolm Maclachlan