O'Connor Nominated: First Woman on Supreme Court
Ronald Reagan had made a campaign promise to appoint the first woman to the Supreme Court, and Sandra Day O'Connor was his pick. A Stanford Law graduate who had finished third in her class yet was offered only secretarial positions by law firms, O'Connor had risen through Arizona politics to the state Court of Appeals. The Senate confirmed her 99 to 0 on September 21, 1981, breaking a 191-year barrier on the nation's highest court. Over her 25-year tenure, O'Connor became the most powerful swing vote in American jurisprudence, often casting the deciding ballot in cases on abortion, affirmative action, and religious liberty. Her appointment transformed the Court's dynamics permanently.
July 7, 1981
45 years ago
Key Figures & Places
President of the United States
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Supreme Court of the United States
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Ronald Reagan
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Sandra Day O'Connor
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President
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Ronald Reagan
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Sandra Day O'Connor
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Supreme Court of the United States
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William McKinley
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Newlands Resolution
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Republic of Hawaii
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Territory of Hawaii
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Hawaii
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Anexação do Havaí
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