She was so inspired by his life and teaching that she decided to apply for early admission to Stanford Law School. O’Connor’s journey to the highest court in the land began in a class she took as an undergraduate at Stanford University with Professor Harry Rathbun, JD ’29 (BA ’16, Engr. and, within a few moments, made history as the nation’s 102nd Supreme Court justice and as the first woman ever to sit on the country’s highest tribunal On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor raised her hand in Washington, D.C. “Her political experience was reflected in her sophisticated opinions, sometimes for the court and sometimes in separate writing, regarding pivotal issues in the law of democracy, ranging from political gerrymandering to minority vote dilution to excessive race consciousness in the political process,” said Pamela Karlan, the Kenneth and Harle Montgomery Professor of Public Interest Law at Stanford. “She was an incredible role model for women of my generation and particularly inspired those of us who attended Stanford, her alma mater, to believe we could achieve what we had set out to do.” “Justice O’Connor was a person and jurist of integrity and grit,” said Bernadette Meyler, JD ’03, Carl and Sheila Spaeth Professor of Law. I’m so proud that Stanford was a part of the journey of such a remarkable, historic figure.” And years later when I was on the faculty here and saw her at conferences and events, she was always so warmly supportive. When I was clerking for Justice Breyer, BA ’59, she went out of her way to get to know the clerks in other chambers, including through her famous morning exercise class at the Court. Provost Martinez continued, “She was also an incredible mentor and role model to so many young women in law. Her approach to law was pragmatic and reflected the spirit of freedom and openness of the American West, based on her time growing up on a ranch in Arizona and then of course here on “the Farm” for law school.” “She was of course a pioneer as the first woman on the Supreme Court. “Justice O’Connor had such an important and distinctive impact on American law,” said Stanford University Provost and former Stanford Law Dean Jenny Martinez. Supreme Court, died on Friday, December 1. Sandra Day O’Connor, LLB ’52 (BA ’50), a rancher’s daughter who grew up in a house without running water and went on to become the first woman justice on the U.S. O’Connor was a pivotal voice on the high court for more than two decades after her retirement, she devoted her professional life to improving civic education
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