Sandra Day O'Connor Biography

Sandra Day O'Connor, Judge
Occup.Judge
FromUSA
BornMarch 26, 1930
El Paso, Texas
Age94 years
Early Life and also Education
Sandra Day O'Connor was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, USA. She was the little girl of Harry Alfred Day as well as Ada Mae Wilkey Day. O'Connor grew up on her family members's huge cattle ranch, the Lazy B Ranch, in southeastern Arizona, where she established a strong work ethic as well as a love for the outdoors. Her parents instilled in her the relevance of education, as well as she went to the small public institution in Lordsburg, New Mexico, as there were no colleges near the ranch.

O'Connor completed her undergraduate research studies at Stanford University in California, where she earned a bachelor's level in economics in 1950. She went on to go to Stanford Law School, where she earned her regulation level in 1952, rating 3rd in her course. In spite of her academic success, she encountered significant obstacles as a female going into the lawful profession throughout that time, with many law office declining to work with women.

Early Legal Career
In spite of facing discrimination, O'Connor persevered as well as began her legal profession as a replacement area attorney in San Mateo, California. In 1953, she wed John Jay O'Connor III, a fellow Stanford Law School grad, and followed him as his occupation brought him to different places. In 1957, O'Connor opened her very own legal practice in Maryvale, Arizona, where she focused on civil matters.

In 1965, she paused from her technique to work as an Arizona state senator by consultation. The following year, O'Connor was elected to the State Senate as a Republican, where she offered 2 terms, from 1969 to 1974, ultimately ending up being the very first female bulk leader of a state senate. In 1974, she made a decision not to run for re-election and instead focused on her lawful occupation. She was selected as a judge in the Maricopa County Superior Court by the Arizona guv in 1975, where she served until she was designated to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979.

Visit to the Supreme Court
On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor to the United States Supreme Court, satisfying his guarantee to designate the first female Supreme Court Justice. O'Connor's nomination was confirmed by the Senate on September 21, 1981, making her the first female to offer on the country's greatest court.

Period in the Supreme Court
As a Supreme Court Justice, O'Connor was thought about a moderate traditionalist who usually held the essential swing vote in numerous questionable situations. She played substantial duties in landmark decisions throughout her tenure, particularly in instances managing abortion legal rights, affirmative action, and also the splitting up of church and state. A few of her most remarkable point of views include Planned Parenthood v. Casey and also Grutter v. Bollinger.

O'Connor was known for her materialism and her propensity to make a decision instances narrowly, concentrating on the certain facts and conditions rather than making broad, sweeping rulings. She usually supported for judicial restraint as well as federalism, stressing the significance of state's civil liberties and limiting the power of the federal government.

Retirement and also Later Life
Sandra Day O'Connor retired from the United States Supreme Court in 2006, citing the demand to take care of her partner that had actually been diagnosed with Alzheimer's condition. She was replaced by Justice Samuel Alito. In the years following her retired life, O'Connor stayed energetic in public life, starting the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy, a non-profit company devoted to advertising civics education and promoting public involvement.

In October 2018, O'Connor announced that she was withdrawing from public life due to her very own medical diagnosis of dementia, more than likely Alzheimer's illness. The tradition she leaves, as both the initial female Supreme Court Justice and also as a significant jurist, remains to motivate generations of ladies and legal scholars.

Our collection contains 34 quotes who is written / told by Sandra, under the main topics: Nature - History - Politics.

Related authors: Ronald Reagan (President), Samuel Alito (1950), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

Source / external links:

34 Famous quotes by Sandra Day O'Connor

Small: Most high courts in other nations do not have discretion, such as we enjoy, in selecting the cases that
"Most high courts in other nations do not have discretion, such as we enjoy, in selecting the cases that the high court reviews. Our court is virtually alone in the amount of discretion it has"
Small: The more education a woman has, the wider the gap between mens and womens earnings for the same work
"The more education a woman has, the wider the gap between men's and women's earnings for the same work"
Small: Im a judge. It seemed to me that it was critical to try to take action to stem the criticism and help p
"I'm a judge. It seemed to me that it was critical to try to take action to stem the criticism and help people understand that in the constitutional framework, it's terribly important not to have a system of retaliation against decisions people don't like"
Small: Each of us brings to our job, whatever it is, our lifetime of experience and our values
"Each of us brings to our job, whatever it is, our lifetime of experience and our values"
Small: Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person
"Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person"
Small: The courts of this country should not be the places where resolution of disputes begins. They should be
"The courts of this country should not be the places where resolution of disputes begins. They should be the places where the disputes end after alternative methods of resolving disputes have been considered and tried"
Small: The abortion cases produced an enormous amount of mail to my chambers, vastly more than to the other ch
"The abortion cases produced an enormous amount of mail to my chambers, vastly more than to the other chambers, I am sure. I sometimes thought there wasn't a woman in the United States who didn't write me a letter on one side or the other of that issue"
Small: My hope is that 10 years from now, after Ive been across the street at work for a while, theyll all be
"My hope is that 10 years from now, after I've been across the street at work for a while, they'll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote"
Small: Justice Ginsburg is a very competent justice, and it is a joy to have her on the court, but particularl
"Justice Ginsburg is a very competent justice, and it is a joy to have her on the court, but particularly for me it is a pleasure to have a second woman on the court"
Small: If I stumbled badly in doing the job, I think it would have made life more difficult for women, and tha
"If I stumbled badly in doing the job, I think it would have made life more difficult for women, and that was a great concern of mine and still is"
Small: Historically courts in this country have been insulated. We do not look beyond our borders for preceden
"Historically courts in this country have been insulated. We do not look beyond our borders for precedents"
Small: It is a measure of the framers fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th A
"It is a measure of the framers' fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself"
Small: It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful scho
"It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren"
Small: Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core concern of the framers of the 4th Amendment
"Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core concern of the framers of the 4th Amendment"
Small: What was a problem was the excessive amount of media attention to the appointment of the first woman an
"What was a problem was the excessive amount of media attention to the appointment of the first woman and everything she did. Everywhere that Sandra went, the press was sure to go. And that got tiresome; it was stressful"
Small: The members of the court were just delighted to have a ninth member - male or female. They were all kin
"The members of the court were just delighted to have a ninth member - male or female. They were all kind and welcoming"
Small: The fact is, we are a nine-member court that sits on cases
"The fact is, we are a nine-member court that sits on cases"
Small: Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gen
"Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability"
Small: Occasionally we have to interpret an international treaty - one, perhaps, affecting airlines and liabil
"Occasionally we have to interpret an international treaty - one, perhaps, affecting airlines and liability for injury to passengers or damage to goods. Then, of course, we have to look to the precedents of other member nations in resolving issues"
Small: My concern was whether I could do the job of a justice well enough to convince the nation that my appoi
"My concern was whether I could do the job of a justice well enough to convince the nation that my appointment was the right move"
Small: It matters enormously to a successful democratic society like ours that we have three branches of gover
"It matters enormously to a successful democratic society like ours that we have three branches of government, each with some independence and some control over the other two. That's set out in the Constitution"
Small: I wanted to be a cattle rancher when I was young, because it was what I knew and I loved it
"I wanted to be a cattle rancher when I was young, because it was what I knew and I loved it"
Small: I think the important thing about my appointment is not that I will decide cases as a woman, but that I
"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"
Small: I dont know that there are any short cuts to doing a good job
"I don't know that there are any short cuts to doing a good job"
Small: A moment of silence is not inherently religious
"A moment of silence is not inherently religious"
Small: Yes, I will bring the understanding of a woman to the Court, but I doubt that alone will affect my deci
"Yes, I will bring the understanding of a woman to the Court, but I doubt that alone will affect my decisions"
Small: The framers of the Constitution were so clear in the federalist papers and elsewhere that they felt an
"The framers of the Constitution were so clear in the federalist papers and elsewhere that they felt an independent judiciary was critical to the success of the nation"
Small: The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way t
"The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community"
Small: My sense is that jurists from other nations around the world understand that our court occupies a very
"My sense is that jurists from other nations around the world understand that our court occupies a very special place in the American system, and that the court is rather well regarded in comparison, perhaps, to their own"
Small: Despite the encouraging and wonderful gains and the changes for women which have occurred in my lifetim
"Despite the encouraging and wonderful gains and the changes for women which have occurred in my lifetime, there is still room to advance and to promote correction of the remaining deficiencies and imbalances"
Small: I need to retire from retirement
"I need to retire from retirement"
Small: Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns mor
"Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom"
Small: When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our border
"When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As a state court judge, it never would have occurred to me to do so, and when I got to the Supreme Court, it was very much the same. We just didn't do it"
Small: We dont accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tape
"We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something"