Beyond the Bench: The Legacy of a Balanced Life
On December 19th, the nation paused to honor the remarkable legacy of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the trailblazing woman who shattered the glass ceiling of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Many dignitaries including Evan Thomas, Chief Justice Roberts, President Biden, and other Supreme Court justices gathered to pay their respects and share insights into a life well-lived. Evan Thomas’s moving eulogy celebrated not only her monumental accomplishments, but also her quieter (but no less impactful) deeds that defined her extraordinary career. Justice O’Connor was more than a brilliant jurist; she was a remarkable and compassionate person.
In his eulogy, Evan Thomas, author of First: Sandra Day O’Connor, painted a vivid portrait of Justice O’Connor’s early life. Raised on the rugged terrain of an Arizona cattle ranch, her early years instilled in her a fierce resilience and determination. Eventually, she moved to El Paso to live with her grandmother so that she could attend school—a move that marked the beginning of an extraordinary academic journey. Demonstrating her ambition and talent, she enrolled at Stanford University when she was only 16 years old. She then decided to continue her education at Stanford Law School, where she emerged as a standout (and was one of only five women in her graduating class). Despite graduating near the top of her class, only one law firm offered her an interview.
As a woman entering into a male-dominated legal field, Justice O’Connor was acutely aware of the hurdles she would need to overcome. She possessed a tenacity of spirit that allowed her to persevere despite the number of times she was denied opportunities. During the interview with the law firm, she was quickly disillusioned when their interest centered not on her legal acumen, but on her typing skills. But even this disheartening experience could not dampen her resolve. She went to the local district attorney’s office to inquire about a job. When the DA said he could not pay her, she said that she would work for free. When he said that he had no space for her, she said that she would sit with his secretary. Thus, she started her legal career at the San Mateo County district attorney’s office without an office or a salary. Shortly after starting this job, she began receiving a small salary for the legal research she conducted and memos that she wrote.
When her husband was drafted into the Army, she moved with him to Germany, where she worked as a civilian attorney in the Army’s Quartermaster Corps. Three years later, they returned to the U.S. and settled in Maricopa County, Arizona. There, the couple welcomed three sons into the world. After the birth of her second son, in a move that many at the time might have considered career-ending, she chose to take a five-year break from practicing law. This decision, however, was not the end of her professional ambitions. During this hiatus, Justice O’Connor demonstrated that professional growth and personal life need not be mutually exclusive. She masterfully balanced raising her children with her engagement in the political sphere. Her involvement in various political organizations and a presidential campaign during this period was not just a testament to her multifaceted capabilities but also an illustration of her commitment to civic engagement and leadership. This chapter of her life, which is often overshadowed by her later judicial achievements, highlights her determination to live a whole life. Each of her roles—lawyer, mother, and political activist, were essential to who she was as a person.
When she decided to return to the practice of law in 1965, she stepped into the role of assistant Attorney General of Arizona until the governor appointed her to fill a vacancy on the Arizona Senate in 1969. She ran the following year and was elected. By1973, she had made history as the first woman to serve as Majority Leader in Arizona (or any other state). Her tenure in the Senate spanned two full terms. In 1974, she was appointed to the Maricopa County Superior Court where she served until 1979, when she moved on to the Arizona State Court of Appeals.
In a landmark moment fulfilling one of his key campaign promises, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court in 1981, making her the first woman to ascend to this role. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate with a 99 to 0 vote. It is this time, her tenure as a Supreme Court justice, that she is most remembered for, as a moderate and often deciding vote in many important cases. Her judicial philosophy was grounded in a commitment to equality and justice under the law, steadfastly maintaining that the judiciary's role was to interpret the law impartially, not to advance personal opinions or political agendas.
While challenging and divisive conversations were common in the corridors of the Supreme Court, Justice O’Connor navigated these with a unique blend of practicality, empathy, and a deep understanding of human nature. She insisted that the justices have lunch together, not merely as an opportunity to further deliberate cases, but as a strategy to build camaraderie and understanding, recognizing that effective decision-making often requires an awareness of our unconscious biases shaped by diverse worldviews. She also encouraged her clerks and staff to take regular walks to the cherry blossom trees, a practice aimed at reconnecting with nature and the broader world. These moments were more than breaks from the rigors of legal work; they were essential for grounding human beings in the reality of how their decisions impacted real lives and communities. She appreciated the Supreme Court's impact on culture and society, often engaging with community members before forming her opinions. To her, the Court was not just an arbiter of laws but a crucial influencer of societal balance and administrator of equality.
In 2005, after 24 years of serving on the Supreme Court, Justice O’Connor announced her decision to retire and care for her husband who was suffering from Alzheimer's. In a world often driven by relentless ambition, her choice to step down from her Supreme Court seat—a lifetime appointment—reflects a profound understanding of life's deeper meaning. It is a poignant reminder that true balance isn’t just about work-life equilibrium, but about nurturing all aspects of our existence—yes, our ambitions, but also our relationships and, above all, our humanity.
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s legacy transcends her defining legal decisions; its true weight is in the reminder that people, with their hopes, dreams, and opinions, are the heart of the law. She believed in a world where the law provided equal opportunity for all and knew that ambition without humanity leads to a fundamental imbalance in society. Her life and career point us toward a future where determination is tempered with empathy, decisions are made with consideration of their human impact, and each of us strives to make a difference for the common good.
As we prepare to enter another new year, may we learn some lessons from a life well-lived—that measured success outside of power or position—seeing the world through the eyes of one flawed human to another, capable of greatness and worthy of equality under the law.
“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone…and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.”
~ Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
