Publication Type

Book Chapter

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

9-2020

Abstract

At the same time she announced her withdrawal from public life in 2018, former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor made a passionate plea for “all citizens to understand our Constitution and unique system of government, and participate actively in their communities.”441 The timing coincided with the halfway mark of Donald Trump’s term in presidency, a president who has very publicly declared his knowledge of the US Constitution, but whose understanding of it has regularly been called into question.442 At its foundation, the democratic legitimacy of a government arguably presupposes a working familiarity with the constitution qua social contract. How can a constitutional system claim to be based on popular sovereignty if its populace is ignorant of the source and scope of its government’s powers and responsibilities? Only when citizens are aware of the rights they have can they vindicate perceived violations thereof. Familiarity with the scope of State powers and inter-institutional balance allows us individuals to perform our collective role as constitutional guardians and to do so responsibly, be it at the ballot box, by challenging unlawful State actions or by effectively using freedom of information laws.

Keywords

laws, Singapore, COVID-19, pandemic, public health

Discipline

Asian Studies | Constitutional Law | Public Health

Research Areas

Asian and Comparative Legal Systems

Publication

Law and COVID-19

Editor

Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez, Mark Findlay and Goh Yihan

First Page

142

Last Page

146

ISBN

9781467396172

Publisher

School of Law, Singapore Management University

City or Country

Singapore

Embargo Period

4-19-2021

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3686357

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