On March 26, 1930, Sandra Day O’Connor was born in El Paso, TX. O’Connor spent her years growing up on her family’s farm learning how to take care of the animals and the land. At 16 years old, she graduated from Austin High School. She then applied to Stanford University. With little hope and out of the very few women accepted, O’Connor was accepted in to the competitive university. Fast forward six years, she had graduated with two degrees, her bachelor’s degree in economics and a law degree. 

After her graduation, O’Conner was eager to work. Unfortunately, during this time period not many women were practicing law. This was due to the misogyny that was prevalent during this era. With a few years passing, in 1962, O’Connor had three boys and no job. During her time raising her sons, she got involved in lots of local community volunteering. 

Eventually, she began to work as an Arizona assistant attorney general. A few years later, she was appointed to a state senator. This was the marking of the first woman to hold this position. In 1974, she became a county judge in Maricopa County. O’Connor was then appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. After her appointment, she became the founder of two associations, the Arizona Women Lawyers Association and the National Association of Women Judges.

In 1980, Ronald Reagan was a candidate for president. He promised voters that he would appoint a woman to the Supreme Court if he were to be voted president. Once Reagan won the presidency, O’Conner was voted in to the court in a 99-0 vote. She served on the Supreme Court from 1981-2006. 

Over her career, she had voted in many important and popular court cases. Some of these court cases consisted of: Planned Parenthood v. Casey, Brown v. Legal Foundation of Washington, Stenberg v. Carhart, and Tennessee v. Lane.

After retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She also founded the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute, which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting and education about civics.

In 2018, O’Connor was diagnosed with dementia. She unfortunately passed away on Dec. 1, 2023, due to an illness. Although she may be gone now, her legacy will be remembered forever.