Post by Jason Watts on Jan 19, 2006 19:43:43 GMT -5
Greetings - My name is Michelle Watts - I'm Jason's wife - I decided to write my own History Podcast - my first Podcast is on Sandra Day O'Connor -- an intriguing, inspirational, and intelligent individual who was the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. I have had the honor of seeing and listening to Sandra Day O'Connor, as she was the commencement speaker at my brother's graduation. Her message was one of perseverance and optimism, as she shared her story and words of advice to the Stanford Graduating Class of 2004.
She was born on March 26, 1930 in El Paso, Texas. Her childhood was spent on a cattle ranch. She married John Jay O'Connor III in 1952, and they had three sons. Her husband was a fellow law student with her at Stanford Law School.
In 1950, she graduated from Stanford University magna cum laude, earning a B.A. in Economics. She had chosen economics with the intention of applying that knowledge towards the operation of a ranch of her own or even the Lazy-B Ranch, which was her family's cattle ranch. When a legal dispute erupted over her family's ranch, this sparked her interest in law and O'Connor decided to enroll at Stanford Law School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) in 1952; the Bachelor of Laws degree is now called Juris Doctor degree. She graduated in two years, whereas the customary duration to earning this degree is three years. She served on the Stanford Law Review and was one of the top graduates in her class. An interesting fact is that the prior U.S. Chief Justice, William Rehnquist, was her class's valedictorian. She and Rehnquist had dated for a short time.
Upon graduation, O'Connor was unsuccessful in obtaining a position in a law firm, as she faced a difficult job market, so she entered public service. From 1952-1953, she served as a Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, CA. From 1954-1957, she served as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, in Frankfurt, Germany. From 1958-1960, she practiced law in the Phoenix, AZ metropolitan area. She served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona from 1965 to 1969. In 1969, O'Connor was appointed State Senator and subsequently reelected to two two-year terms, serving in the Arizona State Senate from 1969 to 1975. In 1972, she was elected Senate Majority Leader. She served as Chairman of the State, County, and Municipal Affairs Committee in 1972 and 1973. In addition, she also served on the Legislative Council, on the Probate Code Commission, and on the Arizona Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations. In 1973, she was the first woman to serve as the majority leader of a state Senate. In 1974, she was elected to a position of trial judge for Maricopa County Superior Court, Phoenix, AZ and five years later was appointed by then Governor Bruce Babbitt to the Court of Appeals, which she served from 1979 to 1981.
O'Connor was nominated by President Reagan as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court on July 7, 1981. She was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on September 22, 1981 and took oath of office on September 25, 1981. As a result, O'Connor became the first woman on the nation's highest court. During her first few years on the court, she had a consistently conservative voting record, but gradually she became the influential bridge between the divided nine-member court's conservative and liberal wings. As moderate conservative on an ideologically polarized Court, she frequently cast the deciding vote in 5-4 decisions dealing with some of the most important as well as controversial issues of public debate. Those votes were often accompanied by concurring opinions issued by O'Connor, in order to appease the more aggressive opinions of her peers. As a result, she avoided broad legal rules in favor of pragmatic decisions, which applied specifically to the facts presented in cases. Due to her "undue burden" test in abortion cases, she cast deciding votes in rulings that upheld abortion rights and that struck down laws that banned a procedure abortion opponents termed "partial birth" abortions. She also found that race-based affirmative action was not yet unconstitutional but probably would be soon, as social circumstances were evolving. She preferred decisions that left room for prudence by the Court in future cases. The distinctive approach O'Conner adopted to the law made her one of the best-known Supreme Court justices in recent history and, arguably, one of the most influential women in the history of the United States.
I'd like to share a couple of notable quotes from Sandra Day O'Connor:
"My appointment has probably done more to give women confidence in true equal opportunity than a thousand speeches," O'Connor wrote to Reagan after her investiture.
"The more education a woman has, the wider the gap between men's and women's earnings for the same work."
"The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my arguments, not on my gender."
"It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren."
O'Connor's ambition and pursuit of excellence within her professional career is quite apparent through her numerous accomplishments and accolades. From growing up on a ranch to becoming the first female judge to serve on the United States Supreme Court, O'Connor is indeed one of the most influential and powerful women in our time. In fact, in 2004, Forbes Magazine called her the fourth most powerful women in the United States and the sixth most powerful in the world. [1] O'Connor stance on the Supreme Court has resulted in her decisions having a significant impact on judicial outcomes. O'Connor, at age 75, announced July 1, 2005, she announced that she was retiring. As soon as the new Supreme Court justice is sworn into office, O'Connor will officially retire from the bench to care for her husband. This year she was selected to serve as the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade. As her life becomes slightly more private with her recent announcement of retirement, her service on the Supreme Court and paving the way for more women to enter into the field of law is quite commendable.
She was born on March 26, 1930 in El Paso, Texas. Her childhood was spent on a cattle ranch. She married John Jay O'Connor III in 1952, and they had three sons. Her husband was a fellow law student with her at Stanford Law School.
In 1950, she graduated from Stanford University magna cum laude, earning a B.A. in Economics. She had chosen economics with the intention of applying that knowledge towards the operation of a ranch of her own or even the Lazy-B Ranch, which was her family's cattle ranch. When a legal dispute erupted over her family's ranch, this sparked her interest in law and O'Connor decided to enroll at Stanford Law School. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B.) in 1952; the Bachelor of Laws degree is now called Juris Doctor degree. She graduated in two years, whereas the customary duration to earning this degree is three years. She served on the Stanford Law Review and was one of the top graduates in her class. An interesting fact is that the prior U.S. Chief Justice, William Rehnquist, was her class's valedictorian. She and Rehnquist had dated for a short time.
Upon graduation, O'Connor was unsuccessful in obtaining a position in a law firm, as she faced a difficult job market, so she entered public service. From 1952-1953, she served as a Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, CA. From 1954-1957, she served as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center, in Frankfurt, Germany. From 1958-1960, she practiced law in the Phoenix, AZ metropolitan area. She served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona from 1965 to 1969. In 1969, O'Connor was appointed State Senator and subsequently reelected to two two-year terms, serving in the Arizona State Senate from 1969 to 1975. In 1972, she was elected Senate Majority Leader. She served as Chairman of the State, County, and Municipal Affairs Committee in 1972 and 1973. In addition, she also served on the Legislative Council, on the Probate Code Commission, and on the Arizona Advisory Council on Intergovernmental Relations. In 1973, she was the first woman to serve as the majority leader of a state Senate. In 1974, she was elected to a position of trial judge for Maricopa County Superior Court, Phoenix, AZ and five years later was appointed by then Governor Bruce Babbitt to the Court of Appeals, which she served from 1979 to 1981.
O'Connor was nominated by President Reagan as Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court on July 7, 1981. She was confirmed unanimously by the United States Senate on September 22, 1981 and took oath of office on September 25, 1981. As a result, O'Connor became the first woman on the nation's highest court. During her first few years on the court, she had a consistently conservative voting record, but gradually she became the influential bridge between the divided nine-member court's conservative and liberal wings. As moderate conservative on an ideologically polarized Court, she frequently cast the deciding vote in 5-4 decisions dealing with some of the most important as well as controversial issues of public debate. Those votes were often accompanied by concurring opinions issued by O'Connor, in order to appease the more aggressive opinions of her peers. As a result, she avoided broad legal rules in favor of pragmatic decisions, which applied specifically to the facts presented in cases. Due to her "undue burden" test in abortion cases, she cast deciding votes in rulings that upheld abortion rights and that struck down laws that banned a procedure abortion opponents termed "partial birth" abortions. She also found that race-based affirmative action was not yet unconstitutional but probably would be soon, as social circumstances were evolving. She preferred decisions that left room for prudence by the Court in future cases. The distinctive approach O'Conner adopted to the law made her one of the best-known Supreme Court justices in recent history and, arguably, one of the most influential women in the history of the United States.
I'd like to share a couple of notable quotes from Sandra Day O'Connor:
"My appointment has probably done more to give women confidence in true equal opportunity than a thousand speeches," O'Connor wrote to Reagan after her investiture.
"The more education a woman has, the wider the gap between men's and women's earnings for the same work."
"The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my arguments, not on my gender."
"It is difficult to discern a serious threat to religious liberty from a room of silent, thoughtful schoolchildren."
O'Connor's ambition and pursuit of excellence within her professional career is quite apparent through her numerous accomplishments and accolades. From growing up on a ranch to becoming the first female judge to serve on the United States Supreme Court, O'Connor is indeed one of the most influential and powerful women in our time. In fact, in 2004, Forbes Magazine called her the fourth most powerful women in the United States and the sixth most powerful in the world. [1] O'Connor stance on the Supreme Court has resulted in her decisions having a significant impact on judicial outcomes. O'Connor, at age 75, announced July 1, 2005, she announced that she was retiring. As soon as the new Supreme Court justice is sworn into office, O'Connor will officially retire from the bench to care for her husband. This year she was selected to serve as the Grand Marshall of the Rose Parade. As her life becomes slightly more private with her recent announcement of retirement, her service on the Supreme Court and paving the way for more women to enter into the field of law is quite commendable.
