Sandra Day O’connor, first female Supreme Court justice, withdraws from public life after dementia diagnosis

Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’connor tours an exhibit titled “The Cowgirl Who Became a Justice” at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Forth Worth, Texas, in 2011.

twelve years ago, I made a commitment to myself, my family, and my country that I would use whatever years I had left to advance civic learning and engagement,” she wrote in her letter. “I feel so strongly about the topic because I’ve seen first-hand how vital it is for all citizens to understand our Constitution and unique system of government, and participate actively in their communities. It is through this shared understanding of who we are that we can follow the approaches that have served us best over time – working collaboratively together in communities and in government to solve problems, putting country and the common good above party and selfinterest, and holding our key governmental institutions accountable. Eight years ago, I started icivics for just this purpose – to teach the core principles of civics to middle and high school students with free online interactive games and curriculum that make learning relevant and remarkably effective. Today, icivics (www.icivics.org) reaches half the youth

Win our country. We must reach all our youth, and we need to find ways to get people – young and old – more involved in their communities and in their government.”

O’connor’s letter appeared to follow the model of Reagan, who disclosed in a 1994 letter that he was afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease.

O’connor did not have the obvious upbringing for a future justice, as she noted in her closing comments. She was raised on a cattle ranch in the desert near the border of Arizona and New Mexico.

“While the final chapter of my life with dementia may be trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for the countless blessings in my life. How fortunate I feel to be an American and to have been presented with the remarkable opportunities available to the citizens of our country. As a young cowgirl from the Arizona desert, I never could have imagined that one day I would become the first woman justice on the U.S. Supreme Court,” she wrote.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who joined the court a few months before O’connor’s retirement took effect, issued a statement in response to her letter.

“I was saddened to learn that Justice Sandra Day O’connor, like many Americans, faces the challenge of dementia. But I was not at all surprised that she used the occasion of sharing that fact to think of our country first, and to urge an increased commitment to civics education, a cause to which she devoted so much of her time and indomitable energy. Justice O’connor is of course a towering figure in the history of the United States and indeed the world. She broke down barriers for women in the legal profession to the betterment of that profession and the country as a whole. She serves as a role model not only for girls and women, but for all those committed to equal justice under law. Although she has announced that she is withdrawing from public life, no illness or condition can take away the inspiration she provides for those who will follow the many paths she has blazed.” Sandra Day O’connor is sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice by Chief Justice Warren Burger on September 25, 1981