Opinion: The ripples of Sandra Day O’Connor’s influence continue today
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
When Justice Sandra Day O’Connor died earlier this month, my social media feed was filled with expressions of sorrow at her passing. She was a trailblazer, a glass ceiling-breaker, an example-setter and an inspiration to many.
Long before today’s political rancor, O’Connor was setting an example of what it looks like to treat others with dignity, even when you disagree on issues. She valued personal connection, and it showed. When, as a Republican, she was the Senate majority leader in the Arizona Legislature, she and her late husband, John, would hold bipartisan dinners in their home. Their son, Scott, remembers that “Dad knew everyone’s favorite drink and would hand it to the senator as he or she walked onto our pool deck.” Everyone would have to talk to each other, remembers James Todd, a good friend of the O’Connors.
Those meals continued during her time as a Supreme Court justice. Margaret Talbot writes in The New Yorker that she would prod the other justices to have lunch together on oral-argument days. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson was at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, along with. former Justice Anthony Kennedy, when news broke of O’Connor’s death. Kennedy spoke to Henderson about the meals, saying that if someone did not show up, O’Connor would head to their offices to personally get them.
Henderson also told me that one of the meaningful memories Kennedy had was of Justice O’Connor “sharing her friends.” O’Connor introduced the Kennedys to her friends, immediately giving them a “social circle” that made them feel welcome.
Related
Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, dies at 93
Opinion: Sandra Day O’Connor did more than break a gender barrier
Congresswoman Celeste Maloy told me: “I’m grateful for fearless women like Justice O’Connor who paved the way for conservative women in the legal field, like me. We are walking the trail she blazed. Justice O’Connor will forever be remembered for her tenacity and thoughtful legal approach to the cases that came before her.”
Tani Downing, the new district director for Maloy and recently the attorney for St. George, remembers O’Connor visiting BYU’s Law School while Downing was a student, and having lunch with her. “I was so impressed with how down to earth and gracious she was, considering her incredible position on this country’s highest court. She could have been full of herself and her accomplishments, but instead she showed each one of us respect and spoke easily to us. She exemplified being a strong leader yet still being kind to those with whom you interact, regardless of their socioeconomic or intellectual station.” Downing also said “this country would be in a much better place if each of us, and all of our leaders, emulated the civility and respect shown by Justice O’Connor.”
Erin Preston, an education attorney in Salt Lake, was one of many young women inspired by O’Connor. “You know how they say you can’t be something until you see something? Well, for me, the something I needed to see was Sandra Day O’Connor,” she said. “I still remember watching TV, the news, when Ronald Reagan walked out with Sandra Day O’Connor as his Supreme Court pick. I was 10 years old watching from a farm house in Idaho with a perspective that I had never considered having a professional career or even seeing women in these positions, or having a professional career myself.
“Justice O’Connor became a hero to me over the years as I watched her hold her own with the other justices, and sometimes, even better, write an opinion that required the perspective of a woman, a mother, or a wife. She was brilliant, dedicated, and hard-working, and committed to the rule of the law and justice,” Preston said.
Kendra Seeley, former secretary of the Utah Republican Party and newly finished law student, shared this: “Justice O’Connor laid such a foundation for so many women who came behind her. I was surprised to learn that she took her first job out of law school without pay and without an office because she was a woman and couldn’t find a job,” besides one as a legal secretary. “I believe she showed women across the country that if your dream is to be on the Court, that is attainable.”
Erin Rider, also an attorney, shared that she was the first person in her immediate or extended family to attend law school. “There were times, both during law school and after, when I keenly felt the weight of blazing my own trail. As a result, I gravitated towards those who, whether personally or by example, could help me find the courage to navigate a cutthroat and competitive environment. Sandra Day O’Connor was one of those examples,” she said. O’Connor “forged her own trail, often at great personal expense, and was not afraid to face, head-on, some of the most contentious legal issues in recent history. Even though I did not know her personally, the effect she had on the American judiciary, and on women in the legal industry, created an ongoing legacy of support that continues to carry me forward to this day. I am profoundly grateful for her life and example.”
O’Connor was an individual who recognized the power of individuals. She wrote in her book, “The Majesty of the Law,” that: “It is the individual who can and does make a difference even in this increasingly populous, complex world of ours. The individual can make things happen. It is the individual who can bring a tear to my eye and then cause me to take pen in hand. It is the individual who has acted or tried to act who will not only force a decision but also have a hand in shaping it. Whether acting in the legal, governmental, or private realm, one concerned and dedicated person can meaningfully affect what some consider an uncaring world. So give freely of yourself always to your family, your friends, your community, and your country. The world will pay you back many times over.”
Holly Richardson is the editor of Utah Policy
