Sandra Day O'Connor, First Female SCOTUS Justice, Dies at 93

Facts

• Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court, has died in Phoenix after having suffered complications of advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. She retired from the court in 2006 after serving for nearly 25 years.¹
• O'Connor's tenure on the court was bipartisan, as she voted with conservatives on issues such as approving taxpayer-funded vouchers for students at religious schools and ending the 2000 recount in Florida between George W. Bush and Al Gore. She also voted with the liberals on abortion rights and affirmative action in college admissions.²
• According to one of her former law clerks, Andrew McBride, O'Connor's oral arguments were 'actually being courted by the other justices,' adding, “She was often the first justice to pose a question in important court arguments, thereby quickly setting the tone.'³
• O'Connor, a judge on a mid-level appeals court in Arizona before her appointment to SCOTUS, was 51 years old when then-Pres. Ronald Reagan appointed her, fulfilling his promise to appoint the first female justice.⁴
• Though she didn't proclaim herself as liberal, she expressed concern that some of her most notable decisions were “dismantled” after the more conservative Samuel Alito Jr. replaced her.⁴
• O’Connor served on many political boards and worked in Republican politics at the precinct level before she became an assistant state attorney general in 1965. She then served time in the state Senate, sat on the Maricopa County Superior Court, and, in 1979, was appointed to the state appeals court. She is survived by her three sons, six grandchildren, and her brother, Alan.⁴

Sources: ¹The Wall Street Journal, ²NBC, ³FOX News and ⁴The New York Times.

Narratives

• Right narrative, as provided by National Review. O’Connor was a trailblazer, but more importantly she wasn’t devoted to one political worldview or translation of historical text. She adhered to an approach of moderation, justice, and fairness from the bench — sometimes to the ire of both conservatives and liberals. Her ability to rule while having her finger on the pulse of public sentiment made her the perfect justice to serve as a swing vote for more than two decades.
• Left narrative, as provided by Slate. O’Connor should be commended for her independence. However, one of the times she sided with her conservative colleagues led to the election of the Republican Bush as president. Unfortunately, when she decided to step down, Bush was still in office and he nominated Alito, who has since formed a conservative super majority on the court that has dismantled many of the things O’Connor felt strongest about and has brought a disappointing end to her legacy.

Predictions