who was sandra day o'connor

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, and spent much of her childhood on a cattle ranch in Arizona. O'Connor earned her bachelor's degree in economics and her law degree from Stanford University. After working in various legal and political roles in Arizona—including serving as the first female majority leader of a state senate—she was nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed unanimously in 1981. She served as a Supreme Court justice until her retirement in 2006. Known as a moderate conservative and often a crucial swing vote on the Court, O'Connor played a key role in many landmark decisions. She passed away on December 1, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. Her legacy is honored through the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute, which she founded to advance civic education and engagement.