Key takeaways:
- Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, passed away at the age of 88.
- She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and was the court’s swing justice from the early 1990s until her retirement in 2005.
- O’Connor was an advocate for civics education and founded the iCivics program, which provides free online civics education to students.
The Supreme Court announced on Friday that retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the court, has passed away at the age of 88. O’Connor died of complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness.
Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement that O’Connor “blazed an historic trail as our nation’s first female justice.” He added that the justices “mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education.”
O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. From the early 1990s until her retirement in 2005, she was the court’s swing justice, often casting the deciding vote in the court’s most contentious cases.
O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, and graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952. She was a state senator in Arizona from 1969 to 1975, and was the first woman to serve as majority leader of a state senate.
In addition to her legal career, O’Connor was an advocate for civics education. She founded the iCivics program, which provides free online civics education to students. She was also a strong supporter of the Supreme Court’s annual tradition of allowing students to observe oral arguments.
The Supreme Court mourns the loss of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, a trailblazer and a defender of the rule of law. Her legacy will continue to inspire generations of Americans for years to come.
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