Sandra Day O'Connor Timeline

(March 26, 1930 – December 1, 2023)

Sandra Day O'Connor (1930–2023) was an American attorney, judge, and pioneer for women in law. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, she became the first woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, where she served from 1981 to 2006 as a moderate conservative and often decisive swing vote. Before her Supreme Court appointment, she served as a judge in Arizona and as the state's Senate Majority Leader—the first woman to hold that role in any U.S. state. After retiring from the Court, she championed civic education and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009. More Less

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Early Life and Education

Born in El Paso, Texas

Mar 26, 1930

Sandra Day O'Connor was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, to Harry Alfred Day and Ada Mae Wilkey. Raised primarily on the family's sprawling cattle ranch, the Lazy B, near Duncan, Arizona, she developed an early sense of independence and self-reliance that would shape her character throughout her life.

Image source: Sandra Day O'Connor

Graduates high school at age 16

May 1946

O'Connor excelled academically and graduated from Austin High School in El Paso, Texas, in May 1946 at the age of just sixteen. She had spent much of her youth living with her grandmother in El Paso during the school year while returning to the family ranch during summers.

Graduates magna cum laude from Stanford University

1950

In 1950, O'Connor earned her bachelor's degree in economics from Stanford University, graduating magna cum laude. She then continued at Stanford for law school, where she distinguished herself as one of the top students of her class.

Graduates third in class from Stanford Law School

1952

O'Connor graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952, finishing third in her class. Her classmates included future Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Despite her outstanding academic record, she struggled initially to find employment because law firms were reluctant to hire women attorneys.

Image source: Stanford Law School

Marries John Jay O'Connor III

Dec 20, 1952

Sandra Day married John Jay O'Connor III on December 20, 1952, shortly after completing law school. The couple would remain married until his death in 2009 and raised three sons together: Scott, Brian, and Jay.

Image source: John Jay O'Connor

Legal Career

Works as civilian attorney in Germany

1954 - 1957

Unable to find satisfactory private-sector legal work, O'Connor took a position as a civilian attorney for the U.S. Army Quartermaster Corps in Frankfurt, West Germany, from 1954 to 1957, where her husband served in the Army Judge Advocate Corps.

Opens private law practice in Maryvale, Arizona

1958 - 1960

After settling in Arizona, O'Connor established a private law practice in the Phoenix suburb of Maryvale in 1958. This made her one of the relatively few women practicing law independently in Arizona at the time.

Serves as Arizona state senator

1969 - 1975

O'Connor entered politics in 1969 when Republican Governor Jack Williams appointed her to fill a vacancy in the Arizona State Senate. She won election to the seat in 1970 and was reelected in 1972, serving two full terms and becoming a leader in the legislature before stepping down in 1975.

Image source: Arizona Senate

Becomes majority leader of the Arizona Senate

1973 - 1974

During her final term in the Arizona Senate, O'Connor was elected by her colleagues to serve as majority leader in 1973, becoming the first woman in the United States to hold such a leadership position in a state senate.

Judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court

1975 - 1979

In 1975, O'Connor left the state senate to become a judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona. She handled thousands of cases across civil and criminal matters, building a reputation as a fair, pragmatic, and hardworking jurist.

Image source: Maricopa County, Arizona

Appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals

1979 - 1981

In 1979, Governor Bruce Babbitt elevated O'Connor to the Arizona Court of Appeals. She served there for less than two years before being tapped for an even greater role on the national stage.

Supreme Court Years

Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Reagan

Jul 7, 1981

On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan fulfilled his campaign promise to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court by nominating Sandra Day O'Connor to fill the seat of retiring Justice William O. Douglas. The Senate confirmed her unanimously on September 21, 1981.

Image source: Sandra Day O'Connor

Sworn in as first woman Supreme Court Justice

Sep 25, 1981

On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O'Connor was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, making history as the first woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court. Chief Justice Walter Mondale administered the oath in a ceremony attended by President Reagan.

First Supreme Court vote on abortion cases

1983

Early in her tenure, O'Connor cast pivotal votes in abortion-related litigation, including Akron v. Reproductive Health Services (1983). She generally favored state restrictions on abortion funding and access, establishing herself as a cautious conservative voice on this contentious issue.

Image source: Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

Court upheld Roe v. Wade precedent in Webster

Jul 3, 1989

In Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989), O'Connor voted with a narrow majority to uphold Missouri restrictions on publicly funded abortions while reaffirming the core of Roe v. Wade. Her vote demonstrated her role as a decisive swing figure on reproductive rights questions.

Image source: Webster v. Reproductive Health Services

Cast deciding vote in Planned Parenthood v. Casey

Jun 29, 1992

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992), O'Connor joined a coalition affirming the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade while endorsing Pennsylvania's informed-consent and waiting-period provisions under the newly articulated 'undue burden' framework, preserving abortion rights for another generation.

Pivotal vote in Bush v. Gore decision

Dec 12, 2000

O'Connor was part of the 5-4 majority that halted the Florida recount and effectively decided the 2000 presidential election for George W. Bush in Bush v. Gore (December 12, 2000). Her role was widely noted, and she later expressed some regret about how the outcome affected public perceptions of the court.

Supports affirmative action ruling in Grutter v. Bollinger

Jun 23, 2003

In Grutter v. Bollinger (2003), O'Connor cast a key vote supporting the University of Michigan Law School's race-conscious admissions policy, defending affirmative action in higher education and predicting it would no longer be needed in 25 years.

Casts swing vote in Lawrence v. Texas

Jun 26, 2003

In Lawrence v. Texas (2003), O'Connor provided the crucial vote upholding a constitutional right to privacy that led to overturning Texas's sodomy law. Her vote helped establish protections for same-sex intimate conduct and marked a significant milestone in LGBT rights jurisprudence.

Retirement and Legacy

Publishes memoir 'Finding My Own Way'

Sep 2005

In September 2005, O'Connor published her memoir, 'Finding My Own Way,' recounting her childhood on the Lazy B ranch, her path through Stanford Law School, and her historic rise to the Supreme Court. The book offered readers an intimate portrait of her personal journey.

Image source: Duncan, Arizona

Announces retirement from Supreme Court

Jan 31, 2006

On January 31, 2006, O'Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court to care for her husband, John, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease. Her resignation gave President George W. Bush the opportunity to nominate Samuel Alito as her successor.

Launches iCivics civic education platform

Aug 2009

Concerned about declining civics knowledge among young Americans, O'Connor co-founded iCivics in August 2009, an online educational platform using interactive games to teach students about government and citizenship. The program has since reached millions of students nationwide.

Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Aug 12, 2009

On August 12, 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Sandra Day O'Connor the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, recognizing her pioneering career as the first woman on the Supreme Court and her enduring contributions to American public life.

Image source: Presidential Medal of Freedom

Husband John Jay O'Connor dies

Nov 11, 2009

John Jay O'Connor III, Sandra Day O'Connor's husband of nearly 57 years, died on November 11, 2009, after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. His illness had been a major factor in her decision to retire from the Supreme Court three years earlier.

Publishes 'Out of Order' on judicial independence

2013

In 2013, O'Connor published 'Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court,' a lively account of the court's history, personalities, and quirks. The book reflected her deep affection for the institution and her desire to educate the public about its workings.

Diagnosed with dementia

Oct 23, 2018

On October 23, 2018, O'Connor announced that she had been diagnosed with dementia, likely Alzheimer's disease, and was withdrawing from public life. The announcement came from the same disease that had claimed her husband a decade earlier.

Image source: Dementia

Key Facts

Sandra Day O'Connor was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, but grew up on her family's cattle ranch near Duncan, Arizona.
She graduated third in her class from Stanford Law School in 1952, yet faced significant gender discrimination when seeking employment in law.
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan, she became the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court after being confirmed unanimously by the Senate in September 1981.
During her tenure, she frequently cast pivotal swing votes on major issues, including reproductive rights, affirmative action, and the 2000 presidential election recount decision.
She retired from the Supreme Court in January 2006 to care for her husband, and later founded iCivics, a nonprofit promoting civics education; she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.

Source

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