{"id":3563,"date":"2023-12-01T16:09:48","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T16:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=3563"},"modified":"2023-12-01T16:09:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T16:09:48","slug":"remembering-sandra-day-oconnor-the-first-woman-on-the-supreme-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2023\/12\/remembering-sandra-day-oconnor-the-first-woman-on-the-supreme-court.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering Sandra Day O’Connor, The First Woman on the Supreme Court"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sandra Day O\u2019Connor, the first woman to serve as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, has died at 93 years old. According to a statement from the Supreme Court, O\u2019Connor died in Phoenix, Arizona, \u201cof complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer\u2019s, and a respiratory illness.\u201d<\/p>\n

O\u2019Connor was appointed to the court in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and served nearly a quarter-century before retiring in 2006. She was replaced by Justice Samuel Alito, who in 2022 wrote the majority opinion overturning a federal right to abortion that had been protected for decades by the cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey. O\u2019Connor co-authored the majority opinion in the latter decision, which Alito blasted for having \u201cenflamed debate and deepened division\u201d in the United States.<\/p>\n

In late 2018, she stepped back from public life after having issues with her short-term memory, her family said at the time. In a statement released by the court, Chief Justice John Roberts said, \u201cA daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O\u2019Connor blazed a historic trail as our Nation\u2019s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor. 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded, \u201cAnd we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.\u201d During her tenure, O\u2019Connor was joined on the nine-member Supreme Court by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Before O\u2019Connor died, Ginsburg was the most recent justice to have died, in September 2020. O\u2019Connor inspired generations of female lawyers \u2013 including the five women who served after her nomination on the high court.<\/p>\n