[1/5] U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor speaks during an interview with Reuters Editor-in-Chief Stephen Adler at the 92nd Street Y in New York March 15, 2012.
Chief Justice John Roberts recalled O'Connor as having "blazed an historic trail as our nation’s first female justice."
"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."
Her 1981 appointment by Republican President Ronald Reagan made her the Supreme Court's first woman justice nearly two centuries after the Supreme Court was established in 1789 but her place in history went beyond breaking men-only barriers.
The Supreme Court, which has had a 6-3 conservative majority since 2020, overturned the landmark Roe ruling in 2022.
Persons:
Sandra Day O'Connor, Stephen Adler, Shannon Stapleton, Sandra Day O’Connor, O'Connor, John Roberts, Roberts, George W, Bush, Samuel Alito, Ronald Reagan, you’ve, Roe, Wade, Republican George W, Democrat Al Gore, O’Connor, Harry, Ada Mae, Rehnquist, John, Warren Burger, Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Justice Potter Stewart, “, Barack Obama, Bill Trott, Daniel Wallis
Organizations:
U.S, Supreme, Reuters, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Democrat, Chicago Tribune, Stanford University, Arizona, Democratic, Senate, Ladies, White, Thomson
Locations:
New York, Phoenix, Arizona, Georgia, Texas, Florida, El Paso , Texas, Los Angeles, San Mateo County , California, United States, West, Reuters Washington