Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Has Died at 93

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor who was the first woman ever appointed to the Supreme Court has passed away at 93.

O’Connor served on the Supreme Court from 1981 to 2006 after being appointed by President Ronald Reagan. Currently, her life’s story is being exhibited on the Supreme Court’s website taking people on a journey through Sandra Day’s childhood up to her work as a justice and beyond.

O’Connor served more than a decade alongside the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ginsburg passed away in 2020. 

According to CNBC, O’Connor’s cause of death has been reported as “complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness.”

Despite retiring in 2006, O’Connor continued working as an “a tireless advocate for judicial independence and the Rule of Law throughout the world.” And as a result of her lifetime of advocacy and accomplishments, then-President Barack Obama “awarded Justice O’Connor with the nation’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, on August 12, 2009.”

Several years later, as CNBC reports, in 2018, O’Connor took a step back from life in the public eye when she first began experiencing problems with her short-term memory.

In a statement shared by Chief Justice John Roberts, he said, “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.”

“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.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with Sandra Day O’Connor’s family during this difficult time.