[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 200 (Tuesday, December 5, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H6133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the first female Supreme 
Court Justice, Sandra Day O'Connor, who passed away last Friday.
  Frequently referred to as the most powerful woman in America, Justice 
O'Connor, who was highly gifted and dignified, paved the way for women 
on the highest court in our land.
  Justice O'Connor knew the value of being the first. She felt a 
special responsibility as the first woman. When she was appointed to 
the Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, no women in the Court's 
nearly 200-year history had ever graced the bench with their intellect. 
Her diligence and legal mastery moved America forward, and she always 
knew how to find the big middle in her opinions.
  Since her retirement in 2006, four female Supreme Court Justices have 
been appointed and confirmed to the bench of the highest court in our 
land. That is only five women in 234 years.
  In our Nation's history, our great State of Ohio has never elected a 
     female Senator. Including myself, Ohio has only ever 
     elected 13 female Representatives. Our Nation has not seen 
     a female President yet. Women in our Nation have many 
     glass ceilings to shatter and many more firsts to go.
  Mr. Speaker, I honor Justice O'Connor, her character, and her legacy, 
and I honor and encourage the new firsts yet to come from among 
America's young women.

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