Sandra Day O’Connor
Early Life:
Sandra Day O’Connor was born in 1930 in Texas, and would be appointed to the Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1981, and would continue to serve until 2006. She would graduate high school two years early, and would go onto to receive a law degree from Stanford University. She would graduate one year early from law school, and met fellow Justice Rehnquist at Stanford as well. Though struggling to find a legal job due to her gender, she served as an Arizona State Senator, and became the first female majority leader in any state senate. She also had a job working for the Quartermaster Corps, and in 1979, was appointed to the Arizona Supreme Court of Appeals. In 1981, she was unanimously approved by the Senate, being the first ever female Supreme Court Justice.
Supreme Court:
Connor would serve as an important member of the Supreme Court. She was the swing vote in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, promoted women’s rights, and equal treatment. Despite being a conservative justice, O’Connor was known as an unpredictable voter in several case decisions. This dedication towards the center made her an important vote in numerous case decisions, and allowed her to become a noteworthy justice. In 2006, she retired to take care of her ailing husband. After her retirement, she founded a website that teaches civic engagement. Justice Alito would replace her on the court, and he still serves on the court today.
Source:
https://www.oyez.org/justices/sandra_day_oconnor
This is a great summary of Sandra Day- O'Connor's life. I like how you included the tough life she had trying to fight against gender bias' and how she worked hard to become the first female Justice of the Supreme Court. Do you think that O'Connor was an inspiration to other women all over the world?
ReplyDeleteThis is great insight to Sandra Day- O'Connor's life. I think you really showed how big of an influence she was to many women around her. There was a very significant change in the U.S with Sandra Day- O'Connor because it showed more respect and leadership towards women.
ReplyDeleteGreat job expanding more into the personal life of someone we heard about in class. It's always interesting to get insight on someone's personal life and how that may have affected their political actions. After all, it is important to remember that these are often people too. To expand on how you mention that she was swing vote in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, I attached a site that shows all the cases in which she was an important swing vote for. https://www.aclu.org/other/cases-which-sandra-day-oconnor-cast-decisive-vote
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