The first female Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor has passed away at the age of 93.
O’Connor experienced “complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness,” according to a press release from the Supreme Court.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. said, “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed a historic trail as our Nation’s 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. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.”
O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, serving until 2006.
At the time of her appointment, Reagan described O’Connor as a “person for all seasons, possessing those unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual capacity, and devotion to the public good which have characterized the 101 brethren who have preceded her. I commend her to you, and I urge the Senate’s swift bipartisan confirmation so that as soon as possible she may take her seat on the Court and her place in history.”
Following her service on the U.S. Supreme Court, O’Connor founded the organization iCivics, a group dedicated to civic education.
