SCHS: Court History — Rosette Detail

Sandra Day O’Connor, 1981-2006

Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 1981-2006

SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR was born in El Paso, Texas, on March 26, 1930. She was graduated from Stanford University in 1950 and Stanford University Law School in 1952. After graduation, O’Connor became a Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo, California. She moved to Germany and worked as a civilian attorney for the United States Army in Frankfurt from 1954 to 1957. Upon her return to the United States, O’Connor engaged in private law practice. She was appointed to the Arizona State Senate in 1969 to fill an unexpired term, and the following year she was elected to the State Senate. Twice re-elected, she was majority leader of the State Senate from 1973 to 1974. O’Connor was elected to the Maricopa County Superior Court in 1975 and appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979. President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to the Supreme Court of the United States on August 19, 1981. The Senate confirmed the appointment on September 21, 1981, making O’Connor the first female Associate Justice in the history of the Court. She died on December 1, 2023, at the age of ninety-three.