NEW YORK – Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is warning that civic education needs to improve so Americans understand the difference between presidents and kings.

"I think if people understood these things from the beginning, they would be more informed as to what would be important in a democracy in terms of what people can or should not do,” the liberal justice said Sept. 16 at a New York Law School event celebrating Constitution and Citizenship Day.

Sotomayor didn’t mention President Donald Trump. But her comments come at a time when Trump is pushing the boundaries on presidential power. That’s prompted protestors to hold “No Kings” demonstrations across the country.

It also comes as Trump is in England, meeting with Britain's King Charles on a visit with the royal family.

Sotomayor’s comments echoed the concerns she raised in 2024 when the court’s conservative majority limited when presidents can be prosecuted for actions they take in office.

"The relationship between the president and the people he serves has shifted irrevocably. In every use of official power, the president is now a king above the law," Sotomayor wrote in her dissent.

Trump’s actions that have alarmed critics including firing leaders of independent agencies, imposing sweeping tariffs and refusing to spend money approved by Congress.

All of those moves are being tested in the courts.

Trump has embraced a decades-old theory that the Constitution vested all the power of the executive branch in the president. But he’s also taken a robust view of that power that has raised separation of powers concerns.

Sotomayor told her audience of law students, judges and others that understanding how the government is structured goes hand-in-hand with critical thinking.

“Do we understand what the difference is between a king and a president?” she asked.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President or king? Supreme Court's Sonia Sotomayor is concerned Americans don't know the difference

Reporting by Maureen Groppe and Dan Morrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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