109 HRES 357 IH: Honoring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. U.S. House of Representatives 2005-07-12 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 357 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 12, 2005 Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida (for herself and Ms. Solis) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary RESOLUTION Honoring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

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

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.