The United States of America has lost one of its most distinguished and influential jurists. Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States, passed away on December 1, 2023, at the age of 93, in Phoenix, Arizona. She had been diagnosed with dementia in 2018, and had withdrawn from public appearances.
Sandra Day O’Connor was a remarkable woman who made history as the first female Supreme Court Justice in 1981. She served on the Court for 25 years, from 1981 to 2006, and was known for her pragmatic and moderate approach to the law. She was a swing vote and a consensus builder on many important cases, such as abortion, affirmative action, campaign finance, and federalism. She was respected by her colleagues and the public for her integrity, independence, and civility.
Sandra Day O’Connor was also a trailblazer and a role model for many women and girls who aspire to pursue a career in law and public service. She faced discrimination and challenges as a female lawyer in a male-dominated profession, but persevered and became a judge and a state senator in Arizona. She mentored and supported many women and minorities in the legal field and other fields, and founded a nonprofit organization called iCivics, which promotes civic education for young people. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, in 2009.
The purpose of this article is to honor her legacy and achievements as a pioneer and a leader in the legal field and American society. She was a woman of courage, wisdom, and grace, who made the world a better place.
Sandra Day O’Connor A Trailblazer for Women in Law
O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, in 1930, and grew up on a ranch in Arizona. She graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree and a law degree, where she met her future husband, John Jay O’Connor. Sandra Day O’Connor faced discrimination as a female lawyer, but persevered and became a judge and a state senator in Arizona. She was the first woman to serve as the majority leader of a state senate in the United States.
Sandra Day O’Connor began her legal career in 1952, when she graduated third in her class from Stanford Law School. She was one of only five women in her class, and the only one to be offered a job by a prestigious law firm. However, the offer was not for a lawyer position, but for a legal secretary. She rejected the offer, and instead worked as a deputy county attorney in San Mateo, California. She later moved to Germany with her husband, who was serving in the Army, and worked as a civilian attorney for the Quartermaster Corps.
When Sandra Day O’Connor returned to the United States in 1957, she settled in Phoenix, Arizona, and opened her own law practice. She also became active in the Republican Party, and was elected to the Arizona State Senate in 1969. She was re-elected twice, and became the first woman to serve as the majority leader of a state senate in the United States in 1973. She was known for her bipartisan and progressive leadership, and sponsored bills on education, health care, and environmental protection.
In 1974, Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals by Governor Jack Williams, and was the first woman to serve on that court. She was re-elected in 1976, and served until 1981, when she was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan. She was the first woman to be nominated to the highest court in the land, and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. She took the oath of office on September 25, 1981, and became the 102nd Supreme Court Justice, and the first female Supreme Court Justice in the history of the United States.
Sandra Day O’Connor received many awards and honors for her work as a lawyer, judge, and senator. She was inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame in 1985, and received the Arizona State Bar Association’s Award of Merit in 1986. She was also awarded honorary degrees from several universities, such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Oxford. She was named one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century by Time magazine in 1998, and one of the 100 most powerful women in the world by Forbes magazine in 2004.
A Moderate and Pragmatic Jurist
Sandra Day O’Connor served on the Supreme Court for 25 years, from 1981 to 2006, and was known for her pragmatic and moderate approach to the law. She was a swing vote and a consensus builder on many important cases, such as abortion, affirmative action, campaign finance, and federalism. She was respected by her colleagues and the public for her integrity, independence, and civility.
Sandra Day O’Connor was often the deciding vote on the Court, which was divided between four liberals and four conservatives. She did not adhere to any rigid ideological or doctrinal framework, but rather considered each case on its own merits and circumstances. She was guided by the principles of judicial restraint, respect for precedent, and deference to the states and the elected branches of government. She was also attentive to the practical consequences and implications of the Court’s decisions for the society and the individuals involved.
Some of the landmark cases and issues that she decided on during her tenure on the Court include:
- Abortion: Sandra Day O’Connor was the author of the plurality opinion in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), which reaffirmed the core holding of Roe v. Wade (1973), that women have a constitutional right to choose to have an abortion. However, she also upheld some state regulations on abortion, such as informed consent and parental notification, as long as they did not impose an “undue burden” on the woman’s right. She wrote, “The ability of women to participate equally in the economic and social life of the Nation has been facilitated by their ability to control their reproductive lives.”
- Affirmative Action: Sandra Day O’Connor was the author of the majority opinion in Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), which upheld the use of race as a factor in admissions to the University of Michigan Law School, as part of a holistic and individualized review of applicants. She wrote, “The Court expects that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.
- ”She also joined the majority opinion in Gratz v. Bollinger (2003), which struck down the use of a point system that automatically awarded points to applicants based on their race. Sandra Day O’Connor wrote, “The importance of this case is not that it marks a difference in the Court’s attitude toward the use of race in admissions, but that it affirms the need for careful judicial review of the use of race in admissions.”
- Campaign Finance: Sandra Day O’Connor was the author of the majority opinion in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission (2003), which upheld the constitutionality of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act, which banned soft money contributions to political parties and regulated issue ads by corporations and unions.
- Sandra Day O’Connor wrote, “Money, like water, will always find an outlet. What problems will arise, and how Congress will respond, are concerns for another day. In the main, we are satisfied that the Act represents a legitimate response to pressing public concerns.”
- Federalism: Sandra Day O’Connor was the author of the majority opinion in New York v. United States (1992), which struck down a federal law that required states to either regulate the disposal of radioactive waste or take ownership of it. She wrote, “The Constitution does not empower Congress to subject States to this type of instruction. Congress may not simply ‘commandeer the legislative processes of the States by directly compelling them to enact and enforce a federal regulatory program.’
- ” She also joined the majority opinion in United States v. Lopez (1995), which struck down a federal law that banned the possession of guns near schools, as exceeding Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause. She wrote, “The statute before us upsets the federal balance to a degree that renders it an unconstitutional assertion of the commerce power, and our decision today should not be understood to cast doubt on the constitutionality of the many other federal statutes that are presently in effect.”
Sandra Day O’Connor opinions and dissents were marked by clarity, logic, and eloquence. She often used plain and simple language, and avoided technical jargon and legalese. She also used examples and analogies to illustrate her points and arguments. She was not afraid to express her disagreement with her colleagues, but she always did so with respect and courtesy. She wrote, “The Court must be ever mindful of its role as a court of law, not of morals” and “We do not sit as a superlegislature to weigh the wisdom of legislation”
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