Three conservative Supreme Court justices are sounding the alarm about America’s future, warning that the nation’s constitutional freedoms cannot survive unless Americans understand the principles that made the country possible.
Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett delivered the message in rare public interviews as the United States celebrates the 250th anniversary of its independence.
The interviews, conducted by the Federalist Society and obtained by Fox News Digital, come ahead of the organization’s 2026 National Lawyers Convention, which will focus on American exceptionalism.
Although the Trump-appointed justices approached the subject differently, all three emphasized the responsibility Americans have to preserve the country’s founding principles for future generations.
Gorsuch, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017, warned that Americans have grown accustomed to freedoms that were far from guaranteed when the nation was founded.
“I think it’s very easy to take the rights granted in our Constitution and the ideals expressed in the Declaration for granted,” Gorsuch said.
He argued that the Founding Fathers established something extraordinary by recognizing that individual rights exist independently of government authority.
FIRST ON FOX: As America celebrates 250 years of independence, three conservative Supreme Court justices reflect on what makes the nation exceptional and the importance of preserving its founding freedoms for future generations.
Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch and Amy Coney Barrett share their perspectives on love of country and the principles that have shaped the nation for generations.
See their full remarks on what it will take to preserve American exceptionalism and the nation’s freedoms for future generations: https://t.co/BQ3xzoheXV
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 11, 2026
“The ideas in the Declaration of Independence that all of us are created equal, that every one of us has God-given rights — they don’t come from government, they come from God.”
The justice also stressed that America’s constitutional system cannot be preserved through complacency.
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“Our country is a blessing from God, and that we owe great thanks for it, and we have great responsibility for it,” Gorsuch said.
He warned that Americans must understand their nation’s history before they can appreciate what is at stake.
“You need to know its history. You need to know what you’re preserving. Daniel Webster said it took 6,000 years for us to generate a system of government like this. Don’t expect that to happen easily or again.”
Brett Kavanaugh, who joined the Supreme Court in 2018, focused his remarks on the importance of teaching American history and constitutional government.
He argued that educating younger generations about the country’s founding, its struggles and its achievements is essential to maintaining the republic.
“I think our education system is absolutely fundamental to ensuring that in the next 250 years, we preserve this republic and improve upon this republic. So, teaching American history, teaching the values of this country, the history of this country, why this country exists, how this country has been preserved, how this country has been improved over time, for example, by our constitutional amendment process and otherwise,” Kavanaugh said.
The justice emphasized that civic education should not end when Americans graduate from school.
“And I think all of us should be constantly striving to ensure civics education, not only for our youth, but for all of us, and that we constantly are learning and participating in our system of government,” he continued.
Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s third Supreme Court appointee, delivered a similar message while pointing to the sacrifices made by the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Rather than treating American government as something distant from everyday life, Barrett encouraged citizens to recognize their personal responsibility for its future.
“We’re not passive observers in the American project. We’re participants in it. It is our project,” she said.
Barrett highlighted the Declaration’s closing pledge, noting that the founders risked their lives, fortunes and reputations by declaring independence from Britain.
“Surely that’s the kind of commitment that it takes to have it keep going forward,” she said.
The conservative justices were not alone in discussing the country’s future.
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor recently addressed America’s 250th anniversary during an event at George Washington’s Mount Vernon, offering a more pessimistic assessment of the nation’s current political climate.
“There are some norms we may have lost forever,” Sotomayor said. “But I don’t think that we will fail as a democracy. But I think we’re going to have a hard patch figuring out what that means.”
While Sotomayor expressed concern about the country’s political divisions, her conservative colleagues concentrated on the importance of preserving constitutional traditions through education and public participation.
The Federalist Society’s annual convention will bring together conservative legal scholars, attorneys and judges for discussions marking America’s historic anniversary.
The three Trump-appointed justices offered a common message ahead of the gathering: The freedoms Americans inherited 250 years ago require an informed citizenry willing to protect them.
