Former U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor has died. She was 93.
“Retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O’Connor died this morning in Phoenix, Arizona, of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness,” the Supreme Court said in a Friday, December 1, statement to Us Weekly.
O’Connor was appointed to SCOTUS in 1989 by former president Ronald Reagan, making her the first female justice on the panel. Reagan had promised in his campaign to nominate a woman to the Supreme Court, officially offering the job to O’Connor in June 1981.
“She is truly a person for all seasons,” Reagan said about O’Connor in his appointment speech, noting she possessed “those unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual capacity and devotion to public good which have characterized the 101 brethren who have preceded her.”
After serving 24 years on the bench, O’Connor retired from her post in January 2006.
“A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed a historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability and engaging candor,” Chief Justice John Roberts told Us in his own statement released by SCOTUS. “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 hailed from El Paso, Texas, eventually relocating to California to attend undergrad and law school at Stanford University. She began her legal career as a deputy county attorney in San Mateo County, California, and as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center in Frankfurt, Germany. She moved her practice to Maryvale, Arizona, in 1958, eventually becoming the assistant attorney general of Arizona between 1965 and 1969. From there, she was elected to the Arizona State Senate and served two two-year terms. In 1975, O’Connor was appointed judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court before eventually moving on to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979.
Following her SCOTUS tenure, O’Connor authored five books about her experience. She also founded iCivics, which is a leading civics education platform in the country.
O’Connor is survived by her three sons, Scott, Brian and Jay, her six grandchildren and her brother, Alan Day. She is predeceased by her husband, John O’Connor, who died in 2009 after 57 years of marriage to Sandra.
Memorial plans will be announced at a later date.
