1981: Sandra Day OConnor being sworn in. (Photo by © Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)
Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts were among those who eulogized O’Connor at Washington National Cathedral. O’Connor retired from the high court in 2006 after more than two decades, and died Dec. 1 at age 93.
The president, a longtime senator who once chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee, began his remarks by recalling her 1981 confirmation hearing — a day that Biden described as momentous because of the history that she would make on the nation’s most powerful court.
Biden added: “Excuse my language, Father.”
President Joe Biden delivers a tribute to late retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor during her funeral at Washington National Cathedral on December 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor, 93, w
“She was so successful that the barriers she broke down are almost unthinkable today,” Roberts said, calling her a “strong, influential and iconic jurist.”
“My initial reaction was, of course, everything’s negotiable,” Roberts said.
President Joe Biden looks on as late retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s casket is brought into Washington National Cathedral during her funeral on December 19, 2023 in Washington, DC. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’C
O’Connor wielded considerable influence on the nine-member court, generally favoring states in disputes with the federal government and often siding with police when they faced claims of violating people’s rights. Her impact could perhaps best be seen, though, on the court’s rulings on abortion. She twice helped form the majority in decisions that upheld and reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, the decision that said women have a constitutional right to abortion.
O’Connor was a top-ranked graduate of Stanford’s law school in 1952, but quickly discovered that most large law firms at the time did not hire women. She nevertheless built a career that included service as a member of the Arizona Legislature and state judge before her appointment to the Supreme Court at age 51.
Remembering Sandra Day O’Connor’s life and legacy
LiveNOW from FOX’s Andrew Craft is joined by Loyola Law Professor Jessica Levinson to discuss the life and legacy of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. O’Connor was the first woman to serve in the court. She died on Friday at the age of 93.
“She loved the law and the Supreme Court,” said Jay O’Connor, one of her three sons, during her memorial service. “She loved our country and our democracy. And most of all, she loved her family.”
She was a voracious reader and, along with her husband John, a talented dancer — the couple took disco lessons in Arizona in the late 1970s. She also ran a bustling household as her three sons grew up, at times employing the same skills she used to question attorneys in the courtroom.
Honor Guard members rotate their positions as the late retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor lies in repose in the Great Hall of the U.S. Supreme Court on Dec. 18, 2023, in Washington, D.C. O’Connor, the first woman appointed to be a just
“She honed those skills grilling her sons about being out late on Saturday night,” he said.
“What a beautiful, powerful and totally Sandra Day O’Connor sentiment,” he said.
O’Connor retired at age 75, citing her husband’s struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. She later expressed regret that a woman had not been chosen to replace her, but would live to see a record four women serving on the high court.
She died in Phoenix of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. Her survivors include a brother, three sons and grandchildren. The family plans to return her remains to her childhood home, the Lazy B Ranch in Arizona.
Associated Press writers Mark Sherman and Chris Megerian contributed to this report.
