This Day in the Law
Share
September 25

Sandra Day O’Connor Sworn in as First Female Supreme Court Justice (1981)


On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice. President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor and the Senate unanimously approved her nomination as the 102nd Supreme Court Justice.

Sandra Day O'Connor was born March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas. She grew up on a ranch in southeastern Arizona and quickly learned how to do such things as fire rifles, ride horses, and overcome somewhat difficult living conditions.

O’Connor excelled in the classroom and attended Stanford for both undergraduate school and law school. In 1952, O'Connor graduated third in her class at Stanford Law behind one of her classmates, William H. Rehnquist, who graduated valedictorian and later become the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice.

O’Connor had a remarkable career and overcame many adversities. She faced a difficult job market after graduation from law school. She failed to find work in the private practice so she accepted a job as a deputy county attorney for San Mateo, California. A year later, O’Connor moved to Germany with her husband who was sent there as an Army Judge Advocate General. O’Connor worked as a civilian lawyer in the Quartermaster's Corps.

O’Connor moved back to the states with her family and eventually became involved with the Arizona Republican Party. She returned to work as an assistant state attorney general in Arizona. She was later appointed by Arizona Governor Jack Williams to file a vacancy in the State Senate. O’Connor rose in leadership in the Arizona Senate and became the youngest state majority leader in the State Senate, along with the first woman state majority leader in the United States.

A few years later O’Connor was elected judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, in Phoenix, Arizona where she served for four years. In 1979, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbit nominated her to the State Court of Appeals. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court for the retiring Justice Potter Stewart, and the U.S. Senate unanimously approved the nomination.

On September 25, 1981, O’Connor was sworn in as the first female Supreme Court Justice. The Court abandoned its formal use of "Mr. Justice" and adopted the gender-neutral use of the term "Justice.”

O’Connor emphasized throughout her career that the Supreme Court’s role was to interpret the law, not to legislate. O’Connor also often acted as the swing vote in controversial cases, including Roe vs. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), where she voted in the majority to keep the law in place.

In July 2005, O’Connor announced her retirement from the Supreme Court after 24 years of service.