![]() 1952, graduating third in her class in only two years (as opposed to the customary three years most require). Subsequently, she attended Stanford Law School earning her LL.B. in Economics in 1950, graduating magna cum laude. ![]() Sandra attended the Radford School, from kindergarten until 12th grade in El Paso she graduated with good marks.įollowing graduation from the private academy in Texas, she continued her studies at Stanford University, where she earned a B.A. ![]() She married John Jay O'Connor III in 1952 and has three sons, Scott, Brian, and Jay. Day and Ada Mae Wilkey Day, but grew up in southeaster Arizona on a cattle ranch owned by her parents. Sandra Day O'Connor was born on Main El Paso, Texas, the daughter of Harry A. The first woman ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court, she took oath on September 25, 1981. O'Connor was nominated by President Reagan to become Associate Justice on Jand was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 21, 1981. Appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals by Governor Bruce Babbitt, serving from 1979 to 1981. I was blessed to be one of her clerks and, therefore, a part of her extended family.Sandra Day O'Connor was elected judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court, Phoenix, Arizona and served from 1975 to 1979. Her clerks’ children even have a nickname: “SO’C Grandclerk,” which is emblazoned on T-shirts. She often asked about our families and made clerk reunions family events. She and her husband, John, had an active social calendar in Washington, and she was often on the phone with one of her sons when I would come into her office that year. She brought her own homemade Southwestern dishes for lunch on Saturdays before argument weeks when we would meet to discuss the cases. daily exercise class she organized in the building. We carved pumpkins for Halloween, visited the cherry blossoms in the spring, went to museums, and at least one clerk had to be the “exercise clerk,” who joined her for the 9 a.m. She imposed an ethos of the “full life” in her chambers. The business of the Court was only part of what SO’C expected of us. ![]() Justice O'Connor with Marci Hamilton’s two children, daughter Alex (left) and son Will. I went home to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for two days that year: Christmas and Easter.ĭespite the pressures, we were held to the highest levels of professionalism. She could not be bullied into changing her mind, though Lord knows that Justice Antonin Scalia tried I watched her rise above pettiness in her personal dealings with others as well as in her opinions for the Court. During the 1989 term, there were 129 full opinions of the Court, which more than doubles the number from the most recent term, and clerks routinely worked seven days each week. We even drafted her speeches, and she was the most-requested justice in that era. We were expected to produce high-quality research, certiorari pool memos, bench memos, and opinion drafts on time. The work ethic in SO’C’s chambers was intense. Her strength of character made her precisely the right person to be the “first.” Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, or “SO’C,” as her clerks call her, was the first woman to join the United States Supreme Court and held that position with dignity. Marci Hamilton, (right) Fels Institute of Government Professor of Practice and CEO of CHILD USA, clerked for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor from 1989 to 1990.
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