Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Friday, July 1, 2005
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and former Texas Supreme Court justice, made the following statement regarding the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a native of El Paso, Texas:
"Under the steady hand of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, America has weathered some of the most heated legal controversies our nation has ever endured - and for that, the American people will forever be grateful.
"Throughout her service on the nation's highest court, Justice O'Connor restored a measure of commonsense to our criminal justice system, a measure of respect for our nation's allocation of power between the states and the federal government, and a measure of freedom in the public square to people of faith. And although I have not always agreed with her rulings, I have always felt a deep and abiding respect for her commitment to public service and reverence for the law.
"I'm confident that the President's nominee to replace Justice O'Connor will be an able jurist and among our nation's finest legal minds, but I am less confident of the treatment that nominee will receive from the President's opponents. During the past four years, we have seen unprecedented obstruction, partisanship, and venomous personal attacks dominate the Senate's judicial confirmation process. But the process ahead offers a fresh start, one that must be guided by an appreciation of the high office involved, and a personal respect for the individuals who stand as nominees."
Justice O'Connor has played a leading role in some of the nation's most heated legal disputes in recent years. She authored the Court's 5-4 majority opinion upholding the three-strikes-and-you're out law for repeat convicted criminals. She wrote the Court's plurality opinion in Hamdi, affirming the President's legal authority to detain enemy combatants in wartime and thus preserving a key tool in the ongoing global war on terrorism. She provided the critical fifth vote protecting the First Amendment freedom of association of the Boy Scouts.
Sandra Day O'Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, on March 26, 1930. She married law school classmate John Jay O'Connor III in 1952 and raised three sons, Scott, Brian, and Jay - all while managing to put together one of the most remarkable legal and political careers in American history. She received her undergraduate and law degrees from Stanford University and graduated at the top of her law school class. She then served as Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, California, and as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center in Frankfurt, Germany. She later served as Assistant Attorney General of Arizona and as a member of the Arizona State Senate. In 1974, she was elected Judge of the Maricopa County Superior Court and served there until 1979, when she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated her as an Associate Justice, replacing Justice Potter Stewart. She became the Court's 102nd Justice and its first female member. Sandra Day O'Connor has written two books, Lazy B and Majesty of the Law.
Sen. Cornyn chairs the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security and Citizenship, and is the only former judge on the committee. He served previously as Texas Supreme Court Justice, Texas Attorney General, and Bexar County District Judge.
http://cornyn.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=240079