Sandra Day O’Connor was an American attorney and politician, O’Connor died in Phoenix at the age of 93, due to complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.
Why did Sandra Day O’Connor leave the Supreme Court?
O’Connor was the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice, from 1981 to 2006. A moderate conservative, O’Connor was known for her precisely researched opinions.
By 2005, O’Connor announced her intention to retire. In her letter to Bush, she stated that her retirement from active service would take effect upon the confirmation of her successor.
O’Connor’s letter did not provide a reason for her departure, however, a Supreme Court spokeswoman confirmed O’Connor was leaving to spend time with her husband.
Before O’Connor’s tenure on the Court, she was a judge and an elected official in Arizona, serving as the first female majority leader of a state senate as the Republican leader in the Arizona Senate. Upon her nomination to the Court, O’Connor was confirmed unanimously by the Senate.
