Trail-blazing retired U.S. Justice
O'Connor says she has dementia
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[October 24, 2018]
By Lawrence Hurley
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sandra Day O'Connor,
a pioneer in the legal profession who made history in 1981 by becoming
the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and remained on the
bench for a quarter century, announced on Tuesday that she has been
diagnosed with dementia.
"Some time ago, doctors diagnosed me with the beginning stages of
dementia, probably Alzheimer's disease," O'Connor, 88, said in a letter
issued by the court. Alzheimer's is an irreversible, progressive brain
disorder that gradually destroys memory and thinking skills.
O'Connor, who had served as a state judge in her native Arizona, was
appointed to the nine-member court by Republican former President Ronald
Reagan during his first year in office and she retired in 2006. She was
considered a centrist on the conservative-leaning court.
As a result of her diagnosis, O'Connor said she has withdrawn from
public life.
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"I will continue living in Phoenix, Arizona, surrounded by dear friends
and family. While the final chapter of my life with dementia may be
trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for
the countless blessings in my life," O'Connor added.
O'Connor became the Supreme Court's first woman justice nearly two
centuries after the country's top judicial body was established in 1789,
but her place in history went beyond breaking gender barriers.
Over time, she emerged as the court's ideological center, casting key
votes in cases on the most contentious issues of her era, including a
ruling that helped preserve a woman's right to have an abortion and
another upholding affirmative action - the use of racial preferences in
student admissions - on college campuses.
When Republican former President George W. Bush replaced her with
conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the already-conservative court moved
further to the right.
"Justice O'Connor is of course a towering figure in the history of the
United States and indeed the world," Chief Justice John Roberts said in
a statement. "She broke down barriers for women in the legal profession
to the betterment of that profession and the country as a whole."
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![](../images/102418PIX/news_J17.jpg)
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor speaks during the
lunch session of The Women's Conference in Long Beach, California
October 26, 2010. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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O'Connor grew up on a ranch in Arizona before attending Stanford
University in California. She was one of only five women in her
class at Stanford Law School. Although she graduated near the top of
her class, she was rejected for most law firm jobs.
She and her husband, John, whom she met in law school, later settled
in Phoenix where she became a prominent Republican politician in the
state. She was elected as a state trial judge in 1974 and in 1979
was named to a state appeals court.
After retiring from the court, O'Connor dedicated herself to
improving civics education, starting a group called iCivics that
provided free online resources for middle and high school students.
In 2009, Democratic former President Barack Obama presented her at
the White House with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest
civilian honor a president can give.
O'Connor retired mainly so she could care for her husband, who had
been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Reagan, who died in 2004, also was
diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
An estimated 5.7 million Americans have Alzheimer's, almost
two-thirds of them women, according to the Alzheimer's Association.
It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.
(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham)
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