Sandra Day O’Connor, the first female justice of the US Supreme Court, has died

Former Justice Sandra O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the US Supreme Court, died today at the age of 93.

Sandra O’Connor was chosen in 1981 by then-Republican President Ronald Reagan. She was the first justice to be appointed for life to the U.S. Supreme Court. She retired in 2006, so she could help her husband, John O’Connor, who eventually died in 2009 from Alzheimer’s disease.

Sandra Day O’Connor herself announced in 2018 that she was leaving public life to fight “dementia, and possibly Alzheimer’s.”

The court announced that he died this morning in Phoenix, the capital of the state of Arizona, southwest of the United States, explaining that it resulted from “complications related to dementia in an advanced stage, perhaps Alzheimer’s, and respiratory diseases.”

“A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra O’Connor blazed a historic trail as our nation’s first female Supreme Court justice,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, praising her “unwavering determination, unimpeachable ability, and disarming honesty.”

He added: “At the Supreme Court, we mourn the loss of a valued colleague, a strong and independent defender of the rule of law, and a staunch civil rights activist.”

Throughout her nearly 25 years on the Supreme Court, her centrist stance often swayed majorities in crucial decisions.

In recognition of her long career and pioneering role, Democratic President Barack Obama awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given to an American citizen, in 2009.

“As a girl from the Arizona desert, I never imagined that one day I would become the first female justice of the U.S. Supreme Court,” the jurist, who grew up on a large, remote ranch, wrote in 2018. Grateful for her journey despite her illness.