Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

"Twenty-four years ago, Sandra Day O’Connor became a pioneer when she was unanimously confirmed as the first female Justice to sit on the United States Supreme Court. I am sorry to learn today that she has decided it is time to retire. Until she was joined on the Court by Justice Ginsburg in1993, Justice O’Connor was the only woman serving on the Court, and she wore her historic mantle with honor and grace.

While I was pleased to be able to vote for her confirmation to the Court in 1981, I have been even more privileged to watch her become a vital — often a critical -- independent voice. Justice O’Connor began her career at a time when the legal profession was not friendly to women, and she withstood the sting of early barriers to shatter the glass ceiling. This alone would be worthy of the many accolades she is sure to receive as we look back on her tenure. But it is how she has accorded herself on the Court — how she has exemplified the best of what it means to be a Justice — that will serve as her hallmark.

Justice O’Connor’s distinguished tenure on the Nation’s highest court resists easy labels. Rather than apply the litmus tests of any particular group or a particular political philosophy, she has approached each case with an interest in an open mind. For that, she