A biography for Sandra Day O'Connorhasn’t been written yet.
“If I stumbled badly in doing the job, I think it would have made life more difficult for women, and that was a great concern of mine and still is.”
“In terms of having the American people look at the court and think of it as being fair and appropriate for our nation, it helps to have women, plural, on the court.”
“The destiny of the woman must be shaped to a large extent on her own conception of her spiritual imperative and her place in society.”
“I need to retire from retirement.”
“I don't know how a judge can concentrate on being fair and impartial when he or she is faced with possible jail time for making a decision that others deem incorrect.”
“I loved my husband very much, and it was heartbreaking to have him develop Alzheimer's disease, and to stand by and watch him decline in his ability to take care of himself.”
“Commitment to the rule of law provides a basic assurance that people can know what to expect whether what they do is popular or unpopular at the time.”
“A state of war is not a blank check... when it comes to the rights of the Nation's citizens.”
“I'm a judge. It seemed to me that it was critical to try to take action to stem the criticism and help people understand that in the constitutional framework, it's terribly important not to have a system of retaliation against decisions people don't like.”