[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 357 Engrossed in House (EH)]


H. Res. 357

                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                         March 1, 2006.
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was born on March 26, 1930, in El Paso, 
        Texas, and grew up in both El Paso and southeastern Arizona on her 
        family's ranch;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor graduated magna cum laude from Stanford 
        University in 1950 with a baccalaureate degree in economics;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor graduated from Stanford Law School and was 
        ranked third in a class of 102 graduates;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor completed law school in 2 years, instead of 
        the customary 3, and served on the Stanford Law Review;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor entered the public sector after her 
        graduation from Stanford Law School as a deputy county attorney for San 
        Mateo County in California, after she was unable to secure a position in 
        a number of private law firms that employed very few, if any, women as 
        attorneys;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor served as Assistant Attorney General of 
        Arizona from 1965 to 1969;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Arizona State Senate in 
        1969 and was subsequently reelected to 2 2-year terms;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor became the State Senate Majority Leader in 
        Arizona in 1973, the first woman to serve in that position in any State;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was elected in 1975 as a judge on the 
        Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona, and served in that position 
        until 1979;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Arizona Court of 
        Appeals in 1979 and served in that position until her confirmation as an 
        Associate Supreme Court Justice;
Whereas in 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor to be the 
        102d Supreme Court justice and the first female member of the Supreme 
        Court;
Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor was confirmed by the United States Senate 
        unanimously on September 21, 1981, and took her seat on the Supreme 
        Court on September 25, 1981;
Whereas the elevation of Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female justice of the 
        Supreme Court helped pave the way for more women to enter into the legal 
        profession;
Whereas in 2004, women accounted for approximately half of all students enrolled 
        in law school, compared to 35 percent of law students in 1981 and just 4 
        percent of law students when Justice O'Connor graduated from Stanford 
        Law School in 1952;
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has left a thoughtful and enduring mark on 
        American jurisprudence, which has been molded through her wisdom and 
        strong character; and
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O'Connor blazed new trails for her gender and is a 
        role model for all Americans: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) honors Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the occasion of her 
        retirement from the United States Supreme Court;
            (2) commends Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for her hard work and 
        dedication to the law; and
            (3) recognizes Justice Sandra Day O'Connor as a pioneer for women in 
        law, helping women become a permanent and integral part of the legal 
        profession.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.