The times -- they are. . . a' changin'. . . the passing of a guard, from the cold war era, indeed. She opened the door for Notorious RBG. And set the table for the Wise Latina Justice, and for Elena Kagan. She was also the inspiration for literally several dozen federal lower court judges, now ably serving on the benches around the nation -- as well as state and municipal ones. [Her cleverly-couched aid, in the subsequent shaping of, and semi-stealth version of. . . protecting. . . Roe v. Wade, for decades, has been the subject of several books.]
From the estimable Amy Howe, then at the SCOTUS Blog, a bit:
. . .Sandra Day O’Connor, a self-described “Arizona cowgirl” who made history as the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice, died on Friday in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 93.
The cause was complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease, and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court announced. . . .
Chief Justice John Roberts said in a press release announcing O’Connor’s death that O’Connor “blazed a 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. . . .”
Also like [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg, O’Connor was unable to find work at a law firm even though she was at the top of her class and an editor of the law review [at Stanford]. One California-based firm, Gibson Dunn, did offer O’Connor a job – as a legal secretary. . . .
Travel well, but travel. . . light, SDO. Smiling a sad smile, even though we disagreed strongly on several topics, she was a true champion -- for women's rights -- at least insofar as that notion was understood at the time, under Ronald Reagan. Onward.
नमस्ते
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