Sandra Day O'Connor

Details

Birth

March 26, 1930 · El Paso, Texas

Death

Living

Law school

stanford university

Prior experience

State appellate court judge

Biography

Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023) was an American lawyer, politician, and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1981 to 2006. Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised on a cattle ranch in Arizona, O'Connor graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952, where she finished third in her class. Despite her academic achievements, she faced gender discrimination in the legal profession and initially struggled to find employment at major law firms. She eventually established her own practice and became involved in Republican politics in Arizona, serving in the state legislature from 1969 to 1974 and later as a state judge. President Ronald Reagan nominated O'Connor to the Supreme Court in 1981, fulfilling his campaign promise to appoint the first woman to the Court. She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate. O'Connor developed a reputation as a pragmatic conservative and frequent swing vote, often providing the decisive fifth vote in closely divided cases. Her judicial philosophy emphasized federalism, states' rights, and case-by-case analysis rather than rigid ideological adherence. Among her most significant opinions were her decisions in Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) and Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), where she helped craft the "undue burden" standard for abortion restrictions, and Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), upholding affirmative action in university admissions. O'Connor retired in 2006 to care for her husband, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Her legacy includes breaking gender barriers in the judiciary and establishing herself as a centrist voice who often determined the Court's direction on contentious social and constitutional issues.

Notable opinions

• Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
• Grutter v. Bollinger