Jan. 4, 2024
By Sena Fidan
Staff Writer
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, died on Dec. 1 at 93 years old due to complications related to advanced dementia. President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts memorialized her at a private funeral service held on Dec. 19 at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
The first female justice in the Supreme Court’s history, O’Connor, was a trailblazer, opening doors for women both in the legal field and other careers.
In 1950, O’Connor graduated from Stanford University in California with a bachelor’s degree in economics. She earned her law degree from Stanford Law School in 1952 at a time when women made up approximately 3% of each class.
Life after graduation was not easy for O’Connor. In the 1950s, it was completely legal to reject women for employment solely based on their gender. Therefore, O’Connor struggled to land herself a job. Nonetheless, she secured a position as deputy county attorney in San Mateo, California. From there, she went on to establish a law firm with a partner and later became the Republican majority leader in the Arizona State senate.
In August 1981, then-president Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to be part of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate then confirmed her with a 99-0 vote.
History teacher Ms. Schiraldi, who teaches United States History II, said O’Connor’s confirmation marked a historic moment.
“Being the first female to be put on the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, just broke glass ceilings that turned things around for women,” Schiraldi said. “I was extremely young, but I remember [that my mother and grandmother] thought it was just the most incredible thing to happen during our lifetime.”
O’Connor is best known for being part of the majority in the 5-4 decision in the 1992 Supreme Court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which reaffirmed Roe v Wade by prohibiting states from refusing abortion prior to viability.
“Her legacy encourages me to strive for representation.”
O’Connor was also part of the majority in the 6-3 decision in the 2003 case Lawrence v. Texas, which decided the Texas statute criminalizing same sex intimate conduct violated the Due Process Clause. In her concurring opinion, she wrote, “The Texas statute makes homosexuals unequal in the eyes of the law by making particular conduct–and only that conduct–subject to criminal sanction.”
Schiraldi said O’Connor’s career continues to impact women.
“It affects every woman at every point in their lives when they see women like her,” Schiraldi said.
Junior Gabriela Liuba, who is taking Mr. Ricciardi’s Advanced Placement Government & Politics class, said O’Connor has been a role model to women around the world.
“Her legacy encourages me to strive for representation,” Liuba said.
She said it is important for students to learn about influential women throughout history.
“It illustrates the struggles women had to endure in the past to get where we are today,” Liuba said. “[O’Connor’s] dedication, intelligence and determination inspire others.”
Like Liuba, history teacher Mr. Spence said O’Connor’s accomplishments have positively impacted his students.
“As a teacher of young women, to see [them] feel more comfortable in the classroom, to feel empowered, to feel like their ideas and their voices matter is something that she laid the foundation for,” Spence said.
He said O’Connor’s bravery in taking a step into uncharted territory for women was monumental.
“She was putting herself out there when a lot of women were not,” Spence said.
He said one of O’Connor’s exemplary traits was her courage, which demonstrated the possibilities within reach for all people.
“She was showing other women… the great achievements that they could make. Just seeing her in her position made a lot of women believe that they’re able to accomplish something that they may not have thought of previously,” Spence said.
Spence said O’Connor’s example is especially important to today’s youth.
“We need role models. The more role models there are for young women, the more we’re going to see women achieve,” Spence said. “She was one of the first and probably one of the best.”
