Which signer of the Declaration of Independence is associated with direct democracy and later served as a Supreme Court justice?

• A. George Mason
• B. Thomas Jefferson
• C. James Wilson
• D. Benjamin Rush

Answer: (C)

Direct democracy is connected here through James Wilson’s career. He helped shape Pennsylvania’s 1776 constitution, which expanded citizen participation and gave the people a direct hand in governance through frequent elections and strong legislative power. He also signed the Declaration of Independence and later became one of the first justices on the U.S. Supreme Court, serving from 1789 to 1798. That combination—advocating for wide citizen involvement in lawmaking and then holding a leading national judicial role—ties him to both parts of the prompt. The other signers didn’t serve on the Supreme Court, and their legacies sit in different spheres: Mason for rights frameworks, Jefferson for authorship and presidency, Rush for medical and civic reform.