All nine Supreme Court justices lined up to honor retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as her casket lay in the Court’s Great Hall on Monday.
O’Connor died on December 1 at the age of 93 in Phoenix, Arizona due to complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory disease.
The first female Supreme Court justice, she was appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and retired in 2006 to care for her husband, who had Alzheimer’s disease.
Her retirement allowed Republican President George W. Bush to choose her replacement, Samuel Alito, who remains on the Supreme Court.
In a dramatic moment during the public viewings, a member of the military standing guard fell to the ground near the coffin, prompting other officers to rush to intervene.
All nine Supreme Court justices – along with retired Justice Anthony Kennedy – stood at the flag-draped casket of retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
In a dramatic moment during the ceremony for O’Connor, a member of the military honor guard collapsed at the end of the flag-draped casket
Former clerks of O’Connor line the steps of the Supreme Court as her casket is carried into the building to lie in repose Monday
O’Connor was the first female Supreme Court justice. She died on December 1 at the age of 93
Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson, paid tribute at the flag-draped casket.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gen. Doug Emhoff visited O’Connor’s casket, as did retired Justice Anthony Kennedy.
The deceased’s three sons, Scott O’Connor, Jay O’Connor and Brian O’Connor, joined the crowd and paid their respects at their mother’s casket.
A private ceremony took place before the public viewings began at 10:30 am. Liberal Justice Sotomayor spoke during the private ceremony.
In addition, a private funeral will take place Tuesday at the Washington National Cathedral.
Following her dementia diagnosis, O’Connor announced in October 2018 that she was retiring from public life.
The deceased’s sons, Scott O’Connor (left), Jay O’Connor (center) and Brian O’Connor (right) wait outside the Supreme Court building Monday for the arrival of their mother’s casket.
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff pay their respects at O’Connor’s casket at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. on Monday
Liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks during a private service for O’Connor in the Supreme Court’s Great Hall on Monday before opening viewings to the public
Although conservative, the former attorney was moderate and was considered a tie-breaking vote under former Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
She was often referred to as the “most powerful woman in the country” during her tenure because of her talent for building consensus, even on some of the most controversial issues.
She often sided with conservative colleagues — such as the Bush v. Gore decision, which handed the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush before a recount was completed. But she also sometimes sided with liberals.
O’Connor affirmed the use of affirmative action in college admissions, and was a key architect when the Supreme Court upheld Roe v. Wade in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
People listen to the private ceremony for O’Connor at a 1999 portrait of the first female Supreme Court justice, displayed as her casket lies at rest in the Supreme Court’s Great Hall
O’Connor enrolled at Stanford University in California at the age of 16 and graduated magna cum laude in 1950 with a degree in economics. She went on to Stanford Law School, where she served as a member of the Stanford Law Review in addition to serving as the future Chief Justice. Rehnquist.
During their time at the law review, she dated Rehnquist, but said no when he proposed.
“We went to a few movies.” she told Fox News in 2003. “He was a brilliant, entertaining young man.”
During her senior year in law school, O’Connor began dating John Jay O’Connor III – they married in December 1952.
After John O’Connor completed his mandatory military service in Germany, the couple moved to Phoenix. He went to work in corporate law and O’Connor opened a small practice with just one other lawyer.
Habing children were at the forefront of O’Connor’s career for several years, but she became involved in politics – especially when family friend Barry Goldwater ran for president in 1964.
In 1965, O’Connor returned to work as an assistant attorney general in Arizona.
Four years later, she was chosen to fill the term of a Senate seat vacated by a lawmaker chosen to serve in the Nixon administration.
She subsequently ran for and won that seat in both 1970 and 1972.
In 1973, O’Connor was elected Senate Majority Leader, becoming the first woman to hold that position. A year later, she was appointed to the Maricopa County Superior Court and then to the Arizona State Court of Appeals in 1979.
Reagan chose her to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1981.
President Ronald Reagan (center left) speaks with newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (center right) outside the White House Rose Garden in 1981. O’Connor was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court