Supreme Court Trailblazer Sandra Day O’Connor Has Died at Age 93

Sandra Day O’Connor, a lawyer, politician, and jurist who forged a path for women in law after becoming the first female member of the nation’s high court, has died at the age of 93.

According to the Supreme Court’s statement, O’Connor passed away Friday due to advanced dementia (she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2018) and a respiratory illness.

Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement that O’Connor was "a daughter of the American Southwest,” adding that she “blazed a historic trail as our nation's first female justice.”

"She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor,” he continued. “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."

On Sept. 21, 1981, O’Connor broke through the legal profession’s glass ceiling, becoming the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court, after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. During her 24-year tenure, she played a pivotal role on the bench in several landmark contested cases, including those around abortion, affirmative action, and civil rights. She is most notably known for casting the swing vote in a case that supported legal abortion, Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

O’Connor overcame hurdles and biases to rise to the high court, becoming an inspiration to young American women in the process. A supporter once wrote to her, "Dear Justice O’Connor: Don’t be intimidated by all those men and especially the chief justice. You put on your robes the same way.”

Ruth McGregor, former chief justice on the Arizona Supreme Court, who clerked for O’Connor in 1981, said, “She might not have called herself a feminist, but she did things that at the time women shouldn’t do. She believed women should do anything they were qualified to do. She wanted to make sure women are on the same legal footing as men and old stereotypes get pushed aside.”

In 2006, she retired from the high court to care for her husband, and in 2009, President Barack Obama presented her with the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

"How fortunate I feel to be an American and to have been presented with the remarkable opportunities available to the citizens of our country," she said in a letter regarding her dementia diagnosis in 2018. “As a young cowgirl from the Arizona desert, I never could have imagined that one day I would become the first woman justice on the U.S. Supreme Court."