Sandra Day O’Connor (b.1930,) née Sandra Day, is an American jurist and author. She became the first woman justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, serving 1981–2006. A moderate conservative, she was celebrated for her objective and meticulously researched opinions.
Born in El Paso, Texas, O’Connor grew up on a family ranch in Arizona. She faced sexual bias after graduating from Stanford Law School—she was even offered a job as a secretary in a law firm. Nevertheless, she rose through the Arizona legal system and the Republican establishment. She became a member of the Arizona Senate (1969–75,) serving as Arizona’s first female majority leader (1973–74.)
In 1975, O’Connor returned to the law and was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. Nominated by President Ronald Reagan and unanimously approved by the Senate, O’Connor became an associate justice of the Supreme Court—she was its 102nd justice and first female appointee. Despite her eminence as the first woman justice, she did not play a prominent role in gender discrimination cases.
O’Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006. She is the author of several books, including Lazy B (2002,) a chronicle of her family’s ranch, and Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court (2013,) a compendium of narratives charting the genesis and maturation of the Supreme Court. O’Connor also wrote the children’s books Chico (2005) and Finding Susie (2009,) both of which were centered on her childhood experiences.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Sandra Day O’Connor
We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone, and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.
—Sandra Day O’Connor
It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren.
—Sandra Day O’Connor
Topics: Religion
The family unit plays a critical role in our society and in the training of the generation to come.
—Sandra Day O’Connor
Topics: Family
We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens.
—Sandra Day O’Connor
Topics: Ethics, Purpose
Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.
—Sandra Day O’Connor
Topics: Doing Your Best
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