[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 25 (Thursday, March 2, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. DEBORAH PRYCE

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2006

  Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career and 
character of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
  It is fitting that this resolution comes before us during the month 
of March, the month set aside to celebrate the pioneering women who 
helped shape our country and extend the promise of equal opportunity 
for all.
  Sandra Day O'Connor was one of those pioneers, a trailblazer for 
women in the legal field and the first woman to sit on the Supreme 
Court of the United States.
  She went to law school at a time when women made up a tiny fraction 
of law students in this country, and a tiny fraction of practicing 
attorneys.
  She graduated from Stanford University Law School in two years 
instead of the normal three, and third in a class of 102, but struggled 
to find a job, as few firms were willing to hire a woman.
  Undeterred, she accepted a position as a deputy county attorney for 
San Mateo County in California, her first foray into public service, 
which would ultimately come to occupy most of her career.
  Among other roles, she went on to serve as the first female State 
senate majority leader in the United States and as a justice on the 
Arizona Court of Appeals.
  In 1981, President Ronald Reagan recognized her achievements by 
appointing O'Connor to the Supreme Court, the first woman in American 
history to be so honored.
  Mr. Speaker, 40 years ago, when Sandra Day O'Connor graduated from 
law school, only 4 percent of law students were women. Today, thanks to 
Justice O'Connor and other courageous women like her, approximately 
half of all law students are women.
  There are many things I could say in her praise, but it seems to me 
that that is the most eloquent testimony of her achievements.

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