[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15335-15336]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES 
                          SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
now proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 191, which was submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will please report the resolution by 
title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 191) honoring Associate Justice of 
     the Supreme Court of the United States Sandra Day O'Connor.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and the motion to 
reconsider be laid upon the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 191) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 191

       Whereas, for nearly a quarter century, Justice Sandra Day 
     O'Connor honorably served as a fair and impartial Justice on 
     the Supreme Court of the United States;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor, the daughter of Harry and Ada 
     Mae, was born in El Paso, Texas, and was raised by her family 
     on a cattle ranch in southeastern Arizona;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor began an academic journey at 
     Stanford University, earning a bachelor's degree in economics 
     and graduating magna cum laude;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor continued her education at 
     Stanford University, by enrolling in the Stanford Law School, 
     where she served on the Board of Editors of the law review;
       Whereas, graduating in just 2 years from Stanford Law 
     School, Sandra Day O'Connor managed to finish third in an 
     impressive class, which included her future Supreme Court of 
     the United States colleague Chief Justice William H. 
     Rehnquist;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor married her great love, John 
     Jay O'Connor III, in 1952;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor began a legal career as the 
     Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo, California;
       Whereas, when John Jay O'Connor III was drafted into the 
     JAG Corps in 1953, the young couple moved to Frankfurt, 
     Germany, where Sandra Day O'Connor worked as a civilian 
     attorney for Quartermaster Market Center;
       Whereas, after 4 years in Europe, Sandra Day O'Connor 
     returned to Maryvale, Arizona, where she began a legal 
     practice and raised 3 sons, Scott, Brian, and Jay;
       Whereas in 1965, Sandra Day O'Connor began service in State 
     government as the Assistant Attorney General for Arizona;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor was later appointed to the 
     Arizona State Senate and then re-elected twice more by the 
     people of Arizona;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor served as majority leader of 
     the Arizona State Senate, and was the first woman to hold 
     such an office in any State;
       Whereas in 1975, Sandra Day O'Connor was elected Judge of 
     Maricopa County Superior Court and served in such capacity 
     until 1979;
       Whereas President Ronald Reagan appointed Sandra Day 
     O'Connor to serve as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court 
     of the United States;
       Whereas, on September 21, 1981, the Senate unanimously 
     confirmed the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor to the 
     Supreme Court of the United States, and she became the first 
     female Justice in the Court's history;
       Whereas, since September 25th, 1981, Justice Sandra Day 
     O'Connor has served with distinction on the Supreme Court of 
     the United States;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor has served as an example to all 
     the people of the United States, demonstrating that through 
     persistence and hard work anything is possible;

[[Page 15336]]

       Whereas, throughout her tenure on the Supreme Court of the 
     United States, Sandra Day O'Connor has not lost sight of her 
     values and has not wavered from her well-grounded views;
       Whereas President Ronald Reagan, on the date he appointed 
     Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court of the United 
     States, said, ``[s]he 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'';
       Whereas now, more than 23 years later, the comments 
     President Reagan made about Sandra Day O'Connor still ring 
     true;
       Whereas when Sandra Day O'Connor took the oath of office as 
     Associate Justice, she pledged to uphold the Constitution, 
     and has since then proven a steadfast commitment to the rule 
     of law;
       Whereas the wisdom, intellect, respect for others, and 
     humility of Sandra Day O'Connor have allowed her to become 
     well-respected among her colleagues, including those with 
     opposing judicial philosophies;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor is an independent thinker and 
     has made great contributions in many substantive areas of the 
     law;
       Whereas Sandra Day O'Connor embodies the ideal qualities of 
     a judge, including fairness, impartiality, and open-
     mindedness;
       Whereas, a true public servant, Sandra Day O'Connor has 
     proudly served the United States for 4 decades as an Arizona 
     State Senator and majority leader, State court judge, an 
     Assistant Attorney General for Arizona, and for more than 23 
     years as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the 
     United States;
       Whereas through her experiences, Justice Sandra Day 
     O'Connor has brought a unique perspective and understanding 
     of checks and balances to the Supreme Court of the United 
     States; and
       Whereas, Sandra Day O'Connor, a brilliant jurist and a 
     compassionate woman, has earned a place in history as the 
     first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United 
     States: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of 
     the United States Sandra Day O'Connor as a great American, a 
     life-long public servant, a brilliant legal scholar, a superb 
     jurist, and the first woman ever to serve as an Associate 
     Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States; and
       (2) pays tribute to Sandra Day O'Connor, Associate Justice 
     of the Supreme Court of the United States, for 4 decades of 
     distinguished service to the nation.

                          ____________________