On July 7, 1981, then-President Reagan fulfilled his promise to nominate a woman to the bench of the highest court in the country, the Supreme Court of the United States. Reagan’s pick was Sandra Day O’Connor, a ground-breaking decision marked as a momentous achievement for women.
“Those who sit on the Supreme Court interpret the laws of our land and truly do leave their footprints on the sands of time,” Reagan said in a press conference 40 years ago when he made the announcement. “These individuals dispense justice and provide for us the most cherished guarantees of protections of our criminal and civil laws.”
Reagan's highly-anticipated announcement of O'Connor came after Reagan promised on the campaign trail he would nominate a woman to the Supreme Court, as The Washington Post reported in October 1980. The question was brought to Reagan’s attention as he appointed three men to the Supreme Court of California during his tenure as the state’s governor from 1967 to 1975.
“After very careful review and consideration, I have made a decision as to my nominee to fill a vacancy on the United States Supreme Court created by the resignation of Justice Stewart. Since I’m aware of the great amount of speculation about this appointment, I want to share this very important decision with you as soon as possible. Needless to say, most of the speculation is centered on the question of whether I would consider a woman to fill this first vacancy. As the press has accurately pointed out, during my campaign for the presidency I made a commitment that one of my first appointments to the Supreme Court vacancy would be the most qualified woman that I could possibly find. Now, this is not to say that I would appoint a woman merely to do so. That would not be fair to women, nor to future generations of all Americans whose lives are so deeply affected by decisions of the Court. Rather, I pledged to appoint a woman who meets the very high standards that I demand of all Court appointees. I have identified such a person. So today, I’m pleased to announce that upon completion of all the necessary checks by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I will send to the Senate the nomination of Judge Sandra Day O’Connor of Arizona Court of Appeals for confirmation as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. She is truly a person for all seasons, possessing those unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual capacity and devotion to the public good, which have characterized the 101 brethren who have preceded her.”
Before she rose to power as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court, O’Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in Duncan, Arizona. She was educated at Stanford University, where she earned her undergraduate and law degrees. Despite her top-notch education, she has explained that she encountered roadblocks in finding employment in the legal field due to her gender.
Just before Reagan nominated O’Connor to the Supreme Court, she was working at the Arizona Court of Appeals and previously held a seat in the Arizona Senate. While serving in the state Senate, she held the position of Republican majority leader – the first woman in the country to do so. Before the state Senate, she worked as one of Arizona’s assistant attorneys general. O’Connor’s experience and track record of conservative involvement made her an ideal nomination for the Supreme Court during the Reagan administration.
On September 25, 1981, O’Connor was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She served on the Court for 25 years, retiring in 2006.
Today, O’Connor is 91 years old and resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Watch the entirety of Reagan’s historic announcement of O'Connor here: