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Sandra Day O'Connor

Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes

Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

Sandra Day O'Connor, born on March 26, 1930, is a notable former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and is recognized for her conservative judicial philosophy and significant contributions to landmark decisions.

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Famous Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes

“A state of war is not a blank check for the president when it comes to the rights of the nation's citizens.”

War Politics Civil Rights

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“We hold that the reckless disregard for human life implicit in knowingly engaging in criminal activity known to carry a grave risk of death represents a highly culpable mental state that may be taken into account in making a capital sentencing judgment not inevitable, lethal result.”

Humans May States Politics Results Known Taken Risk Activity Judgment Accounts Criminals Graves Inevitable Human Life Engaging Reckless Disregard Implicit

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I do not believe it is the function of the judiciary to step in and change the law because the times have changed. I do well understand the difference between legislating and judging. As a judge, it is not my function to develop public policy.”

Believe Wells Law Differences Steps Policy Changed Judging Function Public Policy Judiciary Times Have Changed

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“The proper role of the judiciary is one of interpreting and applying the law, not making it.”

Law Roles Judiciary Interpreting

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“The Constitution does not protect the sovereignty of States for the benefit of the States or state governments as abstract political entities, or even for the benefit of the public officials governing the States. To the contrary, the Constitution divides authority between federal and state governments for the protection of individuals.”

“The purpose prong of the Lemon test requires that a government activity have a secular purpose. That requirement is not satisfied, however, by the mere existence of some secular purpose, however dominated by religious purposes... The proper inquiry under the purpose prong of Lemon, I submit, is whether the government intends to convey a message of endorsement or disapproval of religion.”

Government Purpose Religious Existence Atheism Activity Messages Tests Mere Satisfied Submit Secular Requirements Inquiry Lemons Endorsements Disapproval

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Unfortunately civility is hard to codify or legislate, but you know it when you see it. It's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.”

Knows Hard Conflict Manners Disagree Civility Politeness Disagreeable

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“being a member of the court is a lot like walking through fresh concrete. Do you remember doing that as a child and leaving a footprint and it hardens after you? I'm afraid that's what we do and we look back and we see those opinions we've written and they've sort of hardened after us.”

Looks Children Remember Law Opinion Written Walking Members Court Leaving Concrete Footprint Hardened

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“If a State refused to let religious groups use facilities open to others, then it would demonstrate not neutrality but hostility toward religion.”

Ifs States Use Christian Religious Groups Hostility Facility Neutrality

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“The government now has license to transfer property from those with fewer resources to those with more. The Founders cannot have intended this perverse result.”

Government Results Resources Property Fewer Founders License Transfers

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“A fundamental premise of American democratic theory is that government exists to serve the people. ... Public records are one portal through which the people observe their government, ensuring its accountability, integrity, and equity while minimizing sovereign mischief and malfeasance”

People Government Records Theory Integrity Fundamentals Democratic Accountability Sovereign Equity Premises Mischief Portal Minimizing Malfeasance

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“It is true that many Americans find the Commandments in accord with their personal beliefs. But we do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment.”

Firsts Belief Ten Amendments Commandments First Amendment Accord Ten Commandments Personal Beliefs

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“So how as a nation can we sit around and eat Mexican food, and drink beer and make friends? That's the question. If we can do that on a broader scale, I think we'll come out of it all right.”

Ifs Thinking Nations Can Do Drink Scales Beer Mexican Food And Drink Mexican Food

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Suppose you had a cross burning in a play or a movie... Would that be intimidating?”

Play Crosses Burning Intimidating

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I suspect that over time we will rely increasingly, or take notice at least increasingly, on international and foreign courts in examining domestic issues. [Doing so] may not only enrich our own country's decisions, I think it may create that all important good impression.”

Thinking May Important Country Decision Issues Court International Impression Rely Suspects Examining

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“It's hard to have little children and a job and career at the same time. There is no time left for you as a woman.”

Children Littles Hard Jobs Left Careers Time Left

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I finally gave up my little law practice and stayed home for about three years. You have to do what you can to keep the family going. But I wanted to get back to work. So I got another babysitter and went to work as an Assistant Attorney General.”

Years Littles Home Wanted Law Three Practice Get Back Three Years Gave Up Attorney Assistants Back To Work Babysitter

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I think people know very little, really, about the court, how it works and its history. And both of those things are important in our country, but they're not things that most citizens know much about.”

People Thinking Knows Littles Important Country Citizens Court Our Country

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I think most people didn't want to do court duty.”

People Thinking Want Duty Court

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I don't think it's the court's perceived role to do some explaining of a political nature.”

Thinking Political Roles Court Explaining

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I like to think that the court will continue to be held in high regard by the public. I think it should be.”

Thinking Should Regard Court

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“[Court] is an institution that depends on making tough decisions in close cases for reasons that it explains well and that, in the past at least, have proven satisfactory to the public.”

Wells Reason Past Decision Cases Depends Tough Institutions Court Proven Tough Decisions Making Tough Decisions

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I think it's inevitable that some of the court's decisions will be found by a segment of the public to be not the right decision or subject to criticism.”

Thinking Found Decision Subjects Criticism Court Inevitable Right Decision

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“You have to answer the question, like it or not. And the questions deserve a valid legal response, even if the response isn't one that will be easily understood. You have an obligation as a member of the court to do what you are bound to do under federal law, even if it isn't an attractive resolution from a public standpoint.”

Ifs Law Answers Members Understood Deserve Court Response Bounds Obligation Attractive Resolution Standpoint

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Historically, it took a long time before the court took any women law clerks. Finally, it did, but the numbers have never matched very effectively the percentages of law graduates out of graduating classes. We have far more than we ever did before and it's continued to grow, but it isn't a nice match yet.”

Long Law Grows Numbers Class Nice Long Time Court Graduates Percentages Clerks Matched Graduating Class

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Each justice hires their own clerks, and applications are made individually to the justices. It isn't a group decision.”

Made Justice Decision Groups Application Clerks

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I'm not on the court anymore, so no use looking for my philosophy. If somebody's waiting for that, they can wait for another justice.”

Ifs Philosophy Use Waiting Justice Court

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I didn't want to be out of order answering any questions.”

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“What the framers of the Constitution tried to achieve when they wrote that Constitution back in the 1700s was an independent federal judiciary. They wanted federal judges to be appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate, and to serve for good behavior.”

Wanted President Achieve Advice Judging Behavior Constitution Independent Senate Consent Judiciary Framers Good Behavior Federal Judges

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“My concerns through the years increased about the concerns of an independent judiciary and how we maintain it. Certainly in the states. I'm a product of state government in my own state of Arizona. And it seemed to me that the popular election of judges was creating major problems in many states, and we had improved the system in Arizona. And I thought the nation ought to at least rethink how we select our nation's trial judges in the states.”

“The whole idea of a public education was to train young people about how our system of government works, so they could be good citizens and be part of it. We're not doing that today.”

People Ideas Whole Government Today Young Citizens Train Be Good Public Education Good Citizen Systems Of Government Government Work

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“The fact is that knowledge about the Constitution and the Court is not something that is handed down through the gene pool; every generation has to learn it. And I'm not sure the recent generations have done that good a job of learning about it.”

Done Constitution Not Sure Pool

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I have always thought that while it's wonderful to be the first to do something, you don't want to be the last.”

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“We don't accomplish anything in this world alone... and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one's life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.”

“I need to retire from retirement.”

Needs Retirement Retiring

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Young women today often have very little appreciation for the real battles that took place to get women where they are today in this country. I don't know how much history young women today know about those battles.”

Knows Littles Real Country Today Young Women Know How Battle Appreciation Young Women

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.”

May Persons Whole Opportunity Ability Race Responsibility Benefits Climate Equality Gender Advancement Equality Of Opportunity Remuneration Earn Respect

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Statutes authorizing unreasonable searches were the core concern of the framers of the 4th Amendment.”

History Concern Core Amendments Unreasonable Statutes Framers Unreasonable Searches

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.”

Eye Order Individual Leadership Race Leader Path Qualified Ethnicity Legitimacy Citizenry Race Ethnicity Race And Ethnicity

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom.”

May Persons Matter Problem Seems Time Learning Tasks Bottom Do The Best Unimportant

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.”

Persons Understanding Women Nature Responsibility Family History Concern Family Responsibility

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“I think the important thing about my appointment is not that I will decide cases as a woman, but that I am a woman who will get to decide cases.”

Thinking Inspirational Important Cases Important Things Appointments

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Parents should continue to become more involved with their communities, and more involved in their children's education.”

Should Children Parent Community Involved Universal Education

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“We have a complex system of government. You have to teach it to every generation.”

Government Teach Generations Complexes Systems Of Government Complex Systems

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“We pay a price when we deprive children of the exposure to the values, principles, and education they need to make them good citizens.”

Needs Children Values Pay Principles Citizens Exposure Good Citizen

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“It is a measure of the framers' fear that a passing majority might find it expedient to compromise 4th Amendment values that these values were embodied in the Constitution itself.”

Might Values Politics Constitution Majority Passing Passings Compromise Amendments Framers

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“As a citizen, you need to know how to be a part of it, how to express yourself - and not just by voting.”

Knows Needs Know How Citizens Voting Express Yourself

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“The courts of this country should not be the places where resolution of disputes begins. They should be the places where the disputes end after alternative methods of resolving disputes have been considered and tried.”

Should Has Beens Ends Country Conflict Method Court Alternatives Resolution Disputes Conflict Resolution Mediation Mediators

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“Half the states have stopped making civics and government a requirement for high school. Half.”

States Government School Half High School Requirements Civics

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

“For students, understanding the separate and unique functions of each branch of government can help them understand how different kinds of government officials can help solve different kinds of problems.”

Kind Different Helping Problem Government Understanding Students Unique Function Solve Officials Branches Different Kinds Government Officials Branches Of Government

Author:Sandra Day O'Connor

About the Author

Born: March 26, 1930
Known for: Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Quotes: 116

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