Former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Dies at 93
Washington — Former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who blazed a trail as the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, died Friday, 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 daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O'Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation's first female Justice," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement. "She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor. We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot."
O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by then President Ronald Reagan in 1981, making history as the first woman justice. During her 24-year tenure on the high court, she was often at its center and was a crucial swing vote in divisive cases, including those involving abortion and affirmative action.
Sandra Day O'Connor's Legacy
More than 15 years after O'Connor stepped down from the Supreme Court, its expanded conservative majority would go on to reverse the landmark decisions that recognized the constitutional right to abortion and upheld race-conscious college admissions programs.
O'Connor was also in the 5-4 majority in the 2000 case Bush v. Gore, which effectively decided the election for George W. Bush. She would go on to express doubts about the court's decision to intervene in the election dispute, telling the Chicago Tribune in 2013, "Maybe the court should have said, 'We're not going to take it, goodbye.'"
Born in El Paso, Texas, in 1930, Sandra Day grew up on her family's cattle ranch, called the "Lazy B," in southeastern Arizona. She was admitted to Stanford University at the age of 16 and graduated from Stanford Law in 1952, completing her degree in two years rather than the standard three. She graduated third in her class at Stanford Law, two places behind a future colleague on the Supreme Court, Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
It was also during her time in law school that she met her husband, John Jay O'Connor. He died in 2009 of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
As she embarked on her legal career, O'Connor faced significant challenges due to her gender. Despite her qualifications, she struggled to find employment and received only one offer to work as a legal secretary at a firm in Los Angeles. However, O'Connor declined the offer and instead offered to work for free as a county attorney in San Mateo County, California. Eventually, she was hired as a deputy county attorney and later worked as a civilian attorney with the Army Quartermaster Corps when her husband was stationed in Frankfurt, Germany.
In 1957, O'Connor and her husband returned to the United States and settled in the Phoenix area. She was admitted to the bar and, along with another lawyer, started a private practice. In 1965, O'Connor became an assistant state attorney general of Arizona and four years later, she was chosen to fill a vacancy in the Arizona State Senate. She was reelected to the state senate twice and in 1972, she made history by becoming the first woman to serve as the majority leader of any state senate.
In 1974, O'Connor entered the judicial branch when she was elected to the Maricopa County Superior Court. She served as a judge on the county court from 1975 to 1979, before being appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals.
During the 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan, the Republican nominee, promised to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court if he were elected president. In 1981, Reagan fulfilled his campaign pledge when Justice Potter Stewart retired from the Supreme Court.
In a unanimous vote of 99-0, Sandra Day O'Connor made history as the first woman justice to be confirmed by the Senate for the Supreme Court. This momentous occasion took place in the court's 191-year history. Today, there are four women serving on the highest court in the nation.
In recognition of her achievements, former President Barack Obama presented O'Connor with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the country, in 2009.
During her impressive 24-year tenure on the Supreme Court, O'Connor played a pivotal role as the deciding vote in numerous cases. One of her most notable contributions was her involvement in the 1992 decision of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. In a joint opinion delivered with Justices Anthony Kennedy and David Souter, O'Connor reaffirmed the court's landmark ruling in Roe v. Wade from 1973, which legalized abortion.
However, O'Connor's replacement on the Supreme Court, Justice Samuel Alito, authored the majority decision in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade, revoking the constitutional right to abortion.
Another significant case where O'Connor left her mark was the 2003 ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger. In this 5-4 decision, the court determined that the Constitution permits the limited use of race in college admissions decisions.
However, more recently, the Supreme Court put an end to race-conscious admissions programs at colleges and universities. In a June ruling, the court found that these programs could not be reconciled with the equal protection guarantees outlined in the Constitution.
In early 2006, O'Connor made the decision to retire from the high court in order to care for her husband who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. However, instead of fading into the background, O'Connor took on a new role as an advocate for civics education. In 2009, she founded iCivics, an organization dedicated to promoting civil learning.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor also joined the cause, becoming a member of iCivics' governing board and continuing O'Connor's mission of promoting civics.
Last year, O'Connor revealed in an open letter that she had been diagnosed with the early stages of dementia, most likely Alzheimer's disease. Due to her condition, she stated that she would not be able to participate in public life any longer.
In her letter, O'Connor expressed her gratitude for the opportunities she had as an American citizen and reflected on her journey from being a young cowgirl in the Arizona desert to becoming the first woman justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.
