NATIONAL NEWS
July 1, 2005
First Woman on the Supreme Court Retires
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will step down after 24 years on the nation's highest court
 U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor |
Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, on Friday said she will retire. O'Connor is considered to be a moderate. She often cast the tie-breaking vote on the nation’s most sensitive and serious issues.
President George W. Bush called O'Connor a, "conscientious judge and a public servant of complete integrity."
 |  Sandra Day O'Connor is sworn in as a Supreme Court justice by Chief Justice Warren Burger on September 25, 1981. Holding two family bibles, at center, is husband John J. O'Connor. |
O'Connor, 75, said her age and desire to spend more time with her husband, who is ailing, are the reasons why she is retiring. "It has been a great privilege, indeed, to have served as a member of the Court for 24 terms," she wrote in a resignation letter.
The Supreme Court is the most powerful court in the nation. Its nine justices interpret the Constitution. Their rulings are the final word on many of the nation’s toughest issues.
A Supreme Leader
Born in El Paso, Texas, O'Connor grew up on a 200,000-acre ranch in Arizona. She attended law school at Stanford University with Chief Justice William Rehnquist. After graduating in 1952, O'Connor found it difficult to find a job because most law firms did not hire women back then.
Eventually, O'Connor found work as a deputy county attorney in California. Later, O'Connor was elected to the Arizona State Senate and served on the Arizona Court of Appeals. She was nominated to the Supreme Court by former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, in 1981.
|  A 2003 photo of the nine members of the U.S. Supreme Court. |
What's Next for the High Court?
O'Connor's retirement means the balance on the nation's highest court may shift. Democrats and Republicans are working to see that a judge who supports their views is nominated.
Many people expected the next Supreme Court retirement to be Chief Justice Rehnquist. Rehnquist, 80, is battling cancer. Rehnquist has not said what his plans are.
President Bush said he would quickly nominate a new justice. The U.S. Senate must vote on Bush's appointment before the court's new term begins in October. Bush said his nominee will be someone who will "faithfully interpret the Constitution and laws of our country."
All Supreme Court justices are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. Supreme Court judges may serve as long as they wish.
