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Former US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to sit on America’s most powerful bench and a decisive figure on issues including affirmative action and abortion, has died aged 93.
O’Connor died on Friday morning in Phoenix, Arizona, due to complications linked to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, according to a statement by the Supreme Court. She was appointed by US president Ronald Reagan in 1981 and sat on the court for more than 24 years until her retirement in 2006.
O’Connor “blazed a historic trail as our nation’s first female justice”, chief justice John Roberts said in a statement.
“She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor,” Roberts added. “We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the govern of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education.”
O’Connor was known as a conservative moderate on the court, and proved to be an influential swing vote willing to side with liberal justices on matters such as abortion and affirmative action — two issues that have undergone dramatic shifts in the high court over the past 18 months.
The current bench, which is split 6-3 between conservative and liberal justices, last year overturned Roe vs Wade, the legal decision that had enshrined the constitutional right to an abortion for nearly 50 years. In June it curbed universities’ ability to consider race in admissions.
Born in Texas in 1930, O’Connor held an array of jobs including serving as an assistant attorney-general in Arizona before being appointed to the state’s senate, where she was subsequently selected as its majority leader. She was a evaluate in the Arizona state court system before being selected by Reagan — who had vowed during his presidential campaign to place a woman on the Supreme Court — to fill a vacancy created by the retirement of Potter Stewart.
When announcing her nomination in 1981, Reagan said: “She is truly a person for all seasons, possessing those unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual capacity, and devotion to the public good which have characterized the 101 brethren who have preceded her”.
After her retirement from the high court, O’Connor focused on promoting civics education.
