New York State Bar Association Mourns the Death of Pioneering Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
12.1.2023
Richard Lewis, president of the New York State Bar Association, issued the following statement about the death of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor:
“As the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor occupies a special place in our nation’s history. On every critical issue — affirmative action, abortion, voting rights, religion, and sex discrimination – she exercised an enormous influence on the nation’s psyche. For decades, she was the country’s most influential woman, rising to that lofty position from her roots on a ranch in Arizona.”
“She was revered for her courage and honesty as well as for her analytical mind, stellar judgment and uncanny ability to read the mood of the nation. While all her accomplishments were extraordinary, her grace in facing her husband’s Alzheimer’s disease moved me deeply. When she retired from public life at 88 to face her own dementia, it was with the poise and self-assurance that you’d expect from a person of her stature. I hope that her ability to bring together two sides on a polarizing issue will remain as an inspiration to all of us long after her death.”
Justice O’Connor received the Gold Medal, the New York State Bar Association’s highest honor, in 2008.
