
In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced O’Connor as his nominee for the Supreme Court, fulfilling a campaign promise to nominate a woman. Five years later, the governor appointed her to the Arizona Court of Appeals.
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In 1974, she was elected to a trial court position in Maricopa County.

In 1965, she became an assistant attorney general, and in 1969, she was appointed to the Arizona State Senate to replace a departing member. She married John O’Connor and lived in Germany for a few years while her husband fulfilled his service obligations.Īfter returning to Maricopa County, Arizona, Sandra O’Connor entered local politics. She became a deputy county attorney in San Mateo, California, in 1952. The only job offer she received was a position as a legal secretary. Graduating from high school at age sixteen, she earned undergraduate and law degrees at Stanford University.Įven though she finished third in law school, O’Connor had difficulty finding a job because of gender discrimination. O'Connor involved in Arizona politics and lawīorn in El Paso, Texas, O’Connor spent much of her childhood at the Lazy B Ranch in Arizona. In First Amendment law, she is best known for her opinions in the area of religious liberty. She was often a key swing vote during her later years on the bench, causing some observers to label the Court during this period the O’Connor Court.

Sandra Day O’Connor (1930– ) was the first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, where she served from 1981 to 2006. Sandra Day O’Connor (Photo courtesy Library of Congress, public domain)
