Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is a retired justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was the first woman to serve as justice on the Supreme Court, as well as the first from Arizona.
Sandra Day O'Connor | |
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| 91st Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
| In office September 21, 1981 – January 31, 2006 | |
| Nominated by | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Potter Stewart |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Alito |
| 23rd Chancellor of The College of William & Mary | |
| In office April 7, 2006 – February 3, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Kissinger |
| Succeeded by | Robert Gates |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Sandra Day March 26, 1930 El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | John O'Connor (1952–2009) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Stanford University |
| Signature | .png){kind=small} |
One of her ideas on the Supreme Court was the endorsement test. It was a way to check if the government was supporting religion.
Life
O'Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan. Reagan said while running for president that he wanted a woman to be on the supreme court and promised to nominate a woman for the job the first chance he got. One of her biggest supporters was Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, who helped make sure that all 100 Senators voted to confirm her. While on the Supreme Court, she was involved in several major supreme court decisions including: Bush v. Gore, which had to do with a disputed election; Planned Parenthood v. Casey which involved a woman's right to privacy. She was also involved in Lawrence v. Texas, a case about whether burning a US flag was free speech. She retired from the court in 2006. Sam Alito was chosen to replace her. On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest civilian honor of the United States. It was given by President Barack Obama.
In October 2018, O’Connor announced her effective retirement from public life after disclosing that she was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.[1]
Things named after her
She has a school named after her in North Phoenix, Arizona.
Sandra Day O'Connor Media
Supreme Court justice-nominee Sandra Day O'Connor talks with President Ronald Reagan outside the White House, July 15, 1981.
O'Connor is sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger as her husband John O'Connor looks on.
Justice O'Connor presents Alberto Gonzales to the audience after swearing him in as U.S. Attorney General, as Becky Gonzales looks on.
Justice O'Connor and her husband John O'Connor with President George W. Bush in May 2004.
Justice O'Connor's letter to Bush, dated July 1, 2005, announcing her retirement
O'Connor in 2008 with Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan. Kagan became the fourth female justice on the Court.
The first four women Supreme Court justices: O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan, October 1, 2010. O'Connor was retired when the photograph was taken.
Sources
- Greenburg, Jan Crawford (2007). Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court. Penguin Books.
- Montini, E.J. (2005) "Rehnquist is No. 1, O'Connor is No. 3, Baloney is No. 2."[dead link], The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- O'Connor, Sandra Day; and Day, H. Alan (2002). Lazy B: Growing Up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest. Random House. ISBN 0-375-50724-8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
Other websites
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Wikisource has original works written by or about: |
- Supreme Court official site with biographies
- Profile at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center
- Legal resources at the Law Library of Congress
- Biography and writings at the Legal Information Institute
- Profile at the Oyez Project
- Profile at Judgepedia
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- Profile at the Internet Movie Database
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Works by or about Sandra Day O'Connor in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
- Profile at Notable Names Database
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Potter Stewart |
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 1981–2006 |
Succeeded by Samuel Alito |
| Order of Precedence of the United States of America | ||
| Preceded by John Paul Stevens as Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court |
Order of Precedence of the United States as Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court |
Succeeded by David Souter as Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court |
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