Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor was a former Justice of the Supreme Court. She was appointed by President Reagan and served from 1981-2006. She was the first woman to hold the position. In 1972, she was also the first woman in any state to be elected as the Arizona Senate’s majority leader. She received her LL.B. from Stanford Law School, B.A. in Economics from Stanford University, and several honorary doctorates throughout her career.

Over the course of her career, she was recognized with numerous awards, honors, and distinctions. Most noteworthy, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2009. O’Connor was also the recipient of the Seneca Women Global Leadership Award, John Marshall Award and Rule of Law Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Bar Association, as well as the Benjamin Franklin Award for Distinguished Public Service from the American Philosophical Society among many more.

After her retirement, she authored Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court and a memoir, The Majesty of the Law: Reflections of a Supreme Court Justice. She founded iCivics, a non-profit organization dedicated to teach children about the government via educational games, as well.