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Sandra Day O'Connor holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was born into a ranching family on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, though she grew up in Arizona, which would be her home state throughout most of her life. She received a bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University, in California, in 1950 and remained at Stanford to complete a law degree in 1952--taking two years rather than the normal three. Coincidentally, the U.S. chief justice under whom she would serve, William Rehnquist, was a classmate at Stanford, and the two even briefly dated.

After completing her law degree, O'Connor was unable to find work as a lawyer in California because of her gender. Although she graduated near the top of her class, the only job she was offered was that of legal secretary. Accordingly, she turned to the public sector. Her first job was as a deputy county attorney in California. She then accompanied her husband to Frankfurt, Germany, to work as a civilian attorney for the military. Returning to the United States, she opened her own law firm near Phoenix, Arizona, and then served four years as the state's assistant attorney general. She entered the legislative branch of government in 1969 when she was appointed to the Arizona State Senate, to subsequently win two additional terms and serve as the senate's majority leader. She joined Arizona's judiciary when she was elected judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, and she was later appointed to the state's court of appeals.

On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated O'Connor to the Supreme Court to replace Justice Potter Stewart. Her nomination initially met with some skepticism. Conservatives were concerned that she did not have enough judicial experience, while liberals were concerned that, as a member of the Republican Party, she was not committed to protecting abortion rights. Nonetheless, after being unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, O'Connor took her seat on September 25, 1981. During her years on the Supreme Court, she proved moderately conservative, frequently voting with the more conservative Rehnquist. In such cases as Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) and Metro Broadcasting, Inc. v. Federal Communications Commission (1990), she carved out pragmatic decisions, examining issues on a case-by-case basis. She was frequently the conservative swing vote on the ninemember Court in closely divided five-to-four decisions. Unlike most Supreme Court justices, who enjoy lifetime appointments and often do not retire until age and ill health force them to, O'Connor retired from the bench in good health on January 31, 2006, primarily to spend more time with her husband, who was afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. In the years following her retirement, she became active as a public speaker, focusing on educating the public about the independence of the judiciary.

References:

1. Biskupic, Joan. Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

2. Maveety, Nancy. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor: Strategist on the Supreme Court. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1996.

3. McFeatters, Ann Carey. Sandra Day O'Connor: Justice in the Balance. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2006.

4. Urofsky, Melvin I. Biographical Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court: The Lives and Legal Philosophies of the Justices. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2006.

5. Van Sickel, Robert W. Not a Particularly Different Voice: The Jurisprudence of Sandra Day O'Connor. 2nd ed. New York: Peter Lang, 2002.

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