[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15268-15270]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               RETIREMENT OF JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a truly 
distinguished American--U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 
who announced her retirement earlier this morning.
  The current group of nine Justices, including Justice O'Connor, 
represented the longest serving Supreme Court since the 1820s.
  Today marks a great loss for America. But it is also a day to reflect 
on all

[[Page 15269]]

that we have gained because of Justice O'Connor's service to our 
country.
  For nearly 24 years, Justice O'Connor lent America her brilliant mind 
and her fair and impartial judgment.
  Sandra Day O'Connor, who turned 75 this year, was born in El Paso, 
TX.
  The daughter of Harry and Ada Mae, she was raised on her family's 
cattle ranch, in southeastern Arizona.
  Sandra Day O'Connor began her academic journey at Stanford 
University.
  Upon earning a bachelor's degree in economics and graduating magna 
cum laude, she stayed on at Stanford, pursuing an education in law.
  And at Stanford she thrived. She earned a coveted position on the Law 
Review's Board of Editors and completed law school in only 2 years. Not 
only did she graduate in record time, but she finished third in her 
class.
  Coincidentally, she finished with a man who would later become her 
colleague on the highest Court in the land--Chief Justice William H. 
Rehnquist.
  It was during law school that Sandra Day O'Connor met her future 
husband, John Jay O'Connor.
  Seeking her first job as a young, female attorney, Sandra Day 
O'Connor faced many challenges in a male-dominated law profession.
  After having difficulty finding a job in the private sector, she 
began her legal career as Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo, CA.
  When her husband was drafted into the JAG Corps in 1953, the young 
couple moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where she worked as a civilian 
attorney for the U.S. Army.
  After 4 years in Europe, Sandra Day O'Connor returned to Maryvale, 
AZ, where she experienced difficulty finding employment in the legal 
world. As a result, she decided to start her own legal practice.
  After practicing law for 2 years, Sandra Day O'Connor took a break 
from her career to start a family. She and her husband raised three 
sons--Scott, Brian, and Jay. I must say, as a father of three sons, 
this may be her greatest accomplishment--certainly, one of the most 
challenging.
  In 1965, Sandra Day O'Connor transitioned from the private sector, to 
the public, when she became Arizona's Assistant Attorney General.
  In this capacity, she served for 4 years before being appointed to 
fill an unexpired seat in the Arizona State Senate. Her constituents 
agreed it was a good match--as they elected her twice more.
  In the Arizona Senate she rose to the highest level, becoming 
majority leader and the first woman ever to hold such an office in the 
United States.
  As majority leader of this body, I understand the challenges and 
rewards of being leader and admire Justice O'Connor for her tremendous 
achievement.
  In 1975, Sandra Day O'Connor was elected, judge of the Maricopa 
County Superior Court and served until 1979, when she was appointed to 
the appellate bench in Arizona.
  There she served, until late President Ronald Reagan appointed her 
Associate Justice to the Supreme Court.
  On September, 21, 1981, the Senate unanimously confirmed her 
nomination to the Supreme Court. And that day, Sandra Day O'Connor made 
history. She became the first female Justice in the Court's history.
  This 51-year-old Arizona-Court of Appeals judge shattered the 190-
year-long tradition on the High Court of addressing Justices: ``Mr. 
Justice.''
  When asked for her reaction to her nomination, Sandra Day O'Connor 
said:

       I can only say that I will approach [my work on the bench] 
     with care and effort and do the best job I possibly can do.

  Most would agree that she has done just that.
  Since 1981, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has served with distinction 
on the U.S. Supreme Court. She has served as an example to all 
Americans--demonstrating that through persistence and hard work 
anything is possible.
  In the face of obstacles--including being a woman in a male-dominated 
law profession--she never surrendered her determination, nor did she 
surrender her Southwestern pride and love of the outdoors when she 
moved to the city. Rather, she brought it with her.
  Anyone who has entered the inner confines of Justice O'Connor's 
Supreme Court office is familiar with a sign that reads ``Cowgirl 
Parking Only: All Others will be Towed.''
  Fiercely proud of her heritage, Justice O'Connor and her brother, H. 
Alan Day, authored a best selling memoir entitled ``Lazy B: Growing up 
on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest.''
  Having grown up in the South--in Nashville, TN--I appreciate Justice 
O'Connor's pride in her roots. She has not forgotten where she came 
from.
  The values she learned through life on the range were values that 
left their brand mark. Indeed, hard work, self-reliance, and survival 
are the core values that make Sandra Day O'Connor the successful woman 
she is today.
  As she writes in her memoir, working alongside cowboys on the Lazy B, 
she learned a system of values that was ``simple and unsophisticated 
and the product of necessity.''
  Throughout her tenure on the Court, she has not wavered from her 
well-grounded views.
  I've had the privilege of meeting Justice O'Connor on various 
occasions during my time in the United States Senate.
  Each time that I've had the opportunity to interact with her, I've 
found her to be thoughtful, kind, and extraordinarily intelligent.
  To echo the words of Ronald Reagan on the day he appointed Sandra Day
O'Connor:

       She is truly a ``person for all seasons,'' possessing those 
     unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual 
     capacity and devotion to the public good which have 
     characterized the 101 ``brethren'' who have preceded her.

  Today, more than 23 years later, President Reagan's words still ring 
true.
  When she took the oath of office as the 102nd Associate Justice, she 
pledged to uphold the Constitution, and since this time, Justice 
O'Connor has proven her steadfast commitment to uphold the 
Constitution.
  During her confirmation hearing, she emphasized that the court's role 
was to interpret the law and not to make public policy.
  Her record demonstrates that she has lived up to that commitment, 
respecting the rule of law and judiciously interpreting the 
Constitution.
  Often cited as the ``swing vote'' on many important cases, Sandra Day 
O'Connor has taken exception to that characterization, stating that 
``if my vote has not been a hundred percent predictable, that's because 
I try to look at each one as it comes to us.''
  Sandra Day O'Connor is an independent thinker and has made great 
contributions in many substantive areas of the law.
  On the bench, she has not allowed the pressures of popular opinion to 
sway her decisions. Rather, she has consistently decided each case 
before her based on the underlying facts.
  Despite being the first woman to serve on the high Court, Justice 
O'Connor has not used this position to influence decisions of the 
majority. She once said:

       The power I exert on the court depends on the power of my 
     arguments, not my gender.

  Her wisdom, intellect, and humility have earned her deep respect from 
her colleagues, even those with opposing judicial philosophies.
  For they see that she embodies all the ideal qualities in a judge--
fair, impartial, and open-minded.
  Through her experiences, Justice O'Connor has brought a unique 
perspective and understanding of checks and balances to the Court.
  A true public servant--Sandra Day O'Connor has served our Nation for 
almost four decades: As an Arizona State Senator and majority leader, 
State court judge, assistant State attorney general, and in the 
capacity for which she will long be remembered, as an Associate Justice 
on the Supreme Court.
  Throughout her life, Justice O'Connor has displayed her civic 
loyalties through her participation in various community organizations 
including the boards of the Smithsonian Institution, the Heard Museum, 
and the Salvation Army.

[[Page 15270]]

  She was recognized for her service in 1995, when she was inducted 
into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
  Sandra Day O'Connor has accomplished more in a lifetime than many 
would imagine possible.
  Yet, throughout that breathtaking journey to the top, she never lost 
sight of her humble roots, and never lost sight of the people she 
served.
  As she told a reporter in a 1996 interview that she never expected or 
aspired to be a justice, and still considers herself ``just a cowgirl 
from Arizona.''
  While the ``cowgirl from Arizona'' may never have dreamed of riding 
to the highest court in the land, America is fortunate that she did.
  A brilliant jurist, a bright legal mind, and a compassionate woman--
she has earned her place in history for more reasons than one.
  I am sure that Justice O'Connor is looking forward to spending time 
with her husband, John, and their family during her retirement.
  And Karyn and I wish her and her family much joy and happiness in 
this new chapter of life.
  On behalf of the entire United States Senate and a grateful Nation, I 
commend Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for a lifetime of distinguished 
service to our great Nation.
  As the Senate moves forward to confirm a new nominee for the high 
Court, it's important that we remember her legacy.
  America needs judges who are fair, independent, unbiased and 
committed to equal justice under the law. I am confident that the 
President will select a qualified replacement justice who embodies 
these qualities.
  And I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure a fair 
confirmation process in the Senate that will ensure the Supreme Court 
is at full strength to start its next term in October.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________