In honor of Women’s History Month, The Elder Law Center of Kirson & Fuller is proud to feature women that have impacted the nation through jurisprudence. 

Raised on her family’s ranch, Sandra Day O’Connor was born March 26^th, 1930 in El Paso, Texas. Regarded as a centrist Republican voice on the Court, O’Connor attended Stanford Law School, where she served on the Stanford Law Review. She holds the distinction of shattering the highest glass ceiling in American jurisprudence as the first ever female Justice of the United States Supreme Court appointed by Ronald Reagan in 1981, serving until 2006.

During her tenure on the Court, O’Connor was known for her dispassionate and meticulously researched opinions becoming the “swing vote” on many prominent cases, including Casey v. Planned Parenthood and Bush v. Gore.

O’Connor was also an author of several books, including Lazy B (2002) – a memoir focusing on her family’s ranch, and Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court (2013), a collection of anecdotes charting the genesis and maturation of the Supreme Court. O’Connor also wrote the children’s books Chico (2005) and Finding Susie (2009), both of which were based on her childhood experiences. 

“I think the important thing about my appointment is not that I will decide cases as a woman, but that I am a woman who will get to decide cases.” – Sandra Day O’Connor

Following her retirement from the Court on January 31, 2006, Justice O’Connor has continued her judicial service by hearing cases in the United States Courts of Appeals. In recognition of her lifetime accomplishments, President Barack Obama awarded Justice O’Connor with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on August 12, 2009.

Sources:  National Law Review & Britannica.com