Sandra Day O’Connor (born March 26, 1930) is a retired United States Supreme Court justice. She served as an Associate Justice from her appointment in 1981 by Ronald Reagan until her retirement from the Court in 2006. She was the first woman to be appointed to the Court.
Prior to O’Connor’s appointment to the Court, she was an elected official and judge in Arizona. On July 1, 2005, she announced her intention to retire effective upon the confirmation of a successor. Samuel Alito was nominated to take her sear in October 2004, and join the Court on January 31, 2006.
O’Connor tended to approach each case narrowly without arguing for sweeping precedents. She most frequently sided with the court’s conservatie bloc. In the latter years of her tenure, she was regarded as having the swing vote in many cases as the court grew more conservative.
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