On December 1, Sandra Day O’Connor passed away at the age of 93 from complications of dementia. O’Connor will be remembered as the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court Justice.
O’Connor was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on August 19, 1981, and was confirmed into the Senate with a unanimous vote of 99-0. The only senator who did not vote was Senator Max Baucus who was absent from the vote. In O’Connor’s first year she received over 60,000 letters from the public, the most out of any Justice in history.
O’Connor’s first case was drafting the majority opinion in Mississippi University for Women v Hagen. The case was about a man who sued the university after being denied admission. The court ruled that the school must allow qualified men to be admitted into the school. O’Connor argued that by not allowing men admission the university was reaffirming the stereotype that only women worked in nursing. O’Connor was also the swing vote during the case of Planned Parenthood v Casey regarding abortion rights and was a major advocate in two cases that protected young girls from being harassed, sexually or otherwise, from fellow students, and held the schools and districts liable for any acts of harassment.
O’Connor announced her retirement on July 1, 2005 to care for her husband who was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. O’Connor ended up retiring on January 31 of the next year, having served from 1981 to 2006. She sat on the bench for a total of 24 years and was replaced by Justice Samuel Alito. After her retirement O’Connor would promote American youth to become involved in civics. The death of the retired Justice has been viewed not only as a loss to her family but to the justice system as a whole. Chief Justice John Roberts shared him and his colleagues’ condolences, “We mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education.” O’Connor’s passion for equity has left an astounding impact on the justice system that has created an avenue for change.
