Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who blazed a trail as the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, died on Friday in Phoenix, the Supreme Court said. She was 93 years old.
O’Connor died of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness, the court said in a statement. She withdrew from public life in 2018 after she was diagnosed with dementia.
A native of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor forged a groundbreaking path as the first female Justice in our nation’s history, a sentiment echoed by Chief Justice John Roberts in his statement. He acknowledged her fearless determination, indisputable competence, and engaging honesty in meeting the challenge. The Supreme Court expresses its grief at losing a cherished colleague, a staunch defender of the rule of law, and a passionate advocate for civics education. Her enduring legacy as a devoted public servant and patriot is celebrated. Retired Justice Sandra
Appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor etched her place in history as the inaugural woman justice. Throughout her impressive 24-year tenure on the bench, she frequently found herself at the heart of pivotal cases, serving as a crucial swing vote in contentious matters, including those involving abortion and affirmative action.
More than a decade and a half after O’Connor’s departure from the Supreme Court, a conservative majority, now expanded, overturned landmark decisions recognizing the constitutional right to abortion and supporting race-conscious college admissions programs.
O’Connor played a pivotal role in the 2000 case Bush v. Gore, a 5-4 majority decision that effectively determined the outcome of the election in favor of George W. Bush. In later reflections, she expressed reservations about the court’s intervention in the electoral dispute, suggesting that perhaps the court should have refrained with a simple “goodbye.”
Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1930, Sandra Day spent her early years on the family’s cattle ranch, known as the “Lazy B,” in southeastern Arizona. Entering Stanford University at just 16, she graduated from Stanford Law in 1952, completing her degree in an impressive two years instead of the standard three. Ranking third in her class, she found herself just two spots behind a future Supreme Court colleague, Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Her time in law school also marked the beginning of her connection with John Jay O’Connor, whom she would later marry. He passed away in 2009 due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.