[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 198 (Friday, December 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H6063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MOMENT OF SILENCE HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF JUSTICE SANDRA DAY 
                                O'CONNOR

  (Mr. STANTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, this morning, we lost one of our greatest 
Americans, and today, I rise along with my colleagues representing all 
of Arizona, Republicans and Democrats alike, to honor the life and 
legacy of the most influential Arizonan in history, Justice Sandra Day 
O'Connor, who passed away this morning at the age of 93.
  Justice O'Connor spent her life breaking down barriers in pursuit of 
a more just society. She blazed every trail she set foot on, defying 
the odds stacked against women in the legal profession to rise to 
become Arizona's assistant attorney general, our first female majority 
leader in the State senate, Maricopa County Superior Court judge, and, 
ultimately, the first female Justice on the United States Supreme 
Court.
  She brought her Arizona brand of pragmatism and independence with her 
to the Supreme Court and was often the swing vote on deeply 
consequential decisions.
  In the years since her retirement from the Supreme Court, I have 
admired her steadfast commitment to preserving our democracy through 
objective, fact-based, and collaborative civil discourse through her 
creation of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute and, of course, through 
the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.
  Her work will inspire future generations to follow her example to 
become engaged and thoughtful civil participants.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko).
  Mrs. LESKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I 
thank our colleagues for standing in respect of a great woman. She was 
not only a great woman for Arizona but a great woman and trailblazer 
for all women across America.
  As was said, she was the first female majority leader to serve in the 
Arizona Senate. She went on to be the first woman to serve as a Supreme 
Court Justice. She stood up for truth. She stood up for justice. She 
was not only a wonderful woman and representative of Arizona but a 
wonderful American.
  We are saddened by her passing, but she set the trail for all of us 
women. She was a great Republican, a great American, and we praise her 
each and every day.
  Mr. STANTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask the House to join me in a moment of 
silence.

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