Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died at the age of 93 Friday morning at her home in Phoenix, the court announced.
Sandra Day O'Connor testifying at a judicial hearing in 1981.
O’Connor died due to complications from advanced dementia and respiratory illness, according to a Supreme Court statement released Friday morning.
Chief Justice John Roberts lauded O’Connor in a statement for having “blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice,” praising her “undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor.”
O’Connor was appointed to the court in 1981 by former President Ronald Reagan and served for nearly a quarter century until her retirement in 2006.
In a post on X, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) also praised O’Connor as a “trailblazer for the high court, while Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said her “life and career paved the way for so many others.”
She is survived by her three adult sons, Scott O’Connor, Brian O’Connor and Jay O’Connor, as well as six grandchildren and her brother, Alan Day.
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