Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman appointed to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States. Although she spent her early childhood in Southeastern Arizona, O'Connor was born in El Paso, Texas. Her parents sent her to her grandmother, Mamie Scott Wilkey, when it was time for her to go to school. Wilkey greatly influenced her as she developed through her school age years.
Having graduated, with honors, from Stanford University with a degree in economics; O'Connor stayed at Stanford for her law degree. She served as editor for the Stanford Law Review and met her husband, John O'Connor while at Stanford.
Because of the thinking of the times, it was hard for women to find work in the law field. Eventually the couple moved to north Phoenix and had three sons. Three years after the birth of their third son, O'Connor began to work in the Arizona attorney general's office. By 1969, she had been appointed to the state Senate and later was re-elected and served as the first woman to serve as a state Senate's majority leader (1973). Governor Bruce Babbitt appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to the Court of Appeals in 1979. Prior to this she had been elected a trial judge in 1974 (Maricopa County) and served in that position for 5 years.
It was in 1981 that President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O'Connor to fill the seat on the Supreme Court that had been vacated by Associate Justice Potter Stewart upon his retirement. As a relative unknown, she kept her thoughts about how she would vote on several issues of interest at the time to herself, especially with regard to Row Vs Wade. Despite the reservations of the conservatives, she was confirmed by the Judiciary Committee and the U. S. Senate.
Justice O'Connor's term in the Supreme Court included a wide range of cases; but the ones involving gender discrimination and, (in 1989, in Webster vs Reproductive Health Services) an abortion rights' issue garnered the most attention to her judgeship. Her deciding vote upheld states' rights to make specific abortion decisions.
She had a reputation for lacking a sense of humor, but was regarded as a most powerful voice on compromise. Her influence was recognized nationally as she proceeded in her tough, conservative efforts to a achieve majority votes on cases. Her tough conservatism was somewhat mitigated in cases concerning women and children.
Sandra Day O'Connor announced in July of 2005 that she would retire from the Supreme Court as soon as a replacement was appointed. "Justice Samuel Alito succeeded her on January 31, 2006. In 2006 Arizona State University in Tempe honored Justice O'Connor by renaming their law school the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. John O'Connor, her husband, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 1990, and resides in an assisted living facility in Phoenix."
Quotes from: http://phoenix.about.com/cs/famous/a/oconnor.htm
Other fine sources of information on Sandra Day O'Connor:
http://www.oyez.org/justices/sandra_day_oconnor/
Contributed by Sheilah Egan
The following selections include some writings of Sandra Day O'Connor, as well as biographies. Titles about other Justices and The Supreme Court have also been included.
Reviews
Lazy B; Growing Up On a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest
Sandra Day O'Connor and H. Alan Day
O'Connor and her brother Alan, nine years her junior, teamed up to write an account of growing up on "the largest and most successful ranch in the region," a spread one-fifth the size of the state of Rhode Island, located on the Arizona/New Mexico border. Brief essays introduced by b/w photos and incisive quotations give thumbnail bios of their parents and individual cowboys who worked on the ranch. Other chapters tell of drought and rain, animals (cattle, horses, pets, wildlife), their adobe home, family life, going to school, the local bar, and always the hard work and careful management of resources that supported them all. O'Connor's parents loved each other deeply their whole lives and set education for their three children (their sister Ann is near Alan's age) as a high priority. There is no discussion of politics and little about the professional path that led to Sandra's appointment by Reagan to the Supreme Court. She went to a nearby high school, attended Stanford University Law School, and married a lawyer from San Francisco. She became the mother of three sons and always, until the death of her parents and the sale of the ranch, found solace in its open spaces and the routines of life there. The only really discordant note in the book concerns the increasing involvement of the government and environmentalists with the management of the land, an interference she felt was often ill-informed and led to the breaking up of the ranch and finally its sale. One often feels that the Days smoothed off the roughest edges of their experience, but their story is told with appreciation for all, humans and animals, that had a part in their lives. It is an inspiring story of the benefits that can be gained by a life lived with meaningful work and consistently applied positive life principles. The use of childhood nicknames, such as the initials MO and DA, when referring to their parents, grates throughout, but that is not a reason to reject the book. Category: Biography & Personal Narrative. KLIATT Codes: SA--Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2002, Random House, 318p. illus., $13.95. Ages 15 to adult. Reviewer: Edna M. Boardman (KLIATT Review, September 2003 (Vol. 37, No. 5)).
ISBN: 0-8129-6673-2
ISBN: 978-0-8129-6673-2
Meet My Grandmother. She's a Supreme Court Justice
Lisa Tucker McElroy (with help from Courtney O'Connor)
Photographs by Joel Benjamin
Courtney O'Connor provides a light-hearted look at one of the United States Supreme Court's heavy hitters, Sandra Day O'Connor, who just happens to be her grandmother. As told from Courtney's point of view, Justice O'Connor is portrayed as an ordinary grandmother who enjoys spending time shopping, visiting the sights of Washington D.C., and just "hanging out" with her granddaughter. Courtney and Justice O'Connor also invite readers to join them in chambers to see what a day in the life of a Supreme Court Justice involves. Photos of Courtney and Justice O'Connor provide the visual accompaniment to the straightforward text. This would be a nice addition to any school library as a reference book but it might not be a book that the average reader would add to his or her private collection. 1999, Millbrook Press, $22.90. Ages 8 to 10. Reviewer: Trina Heidt (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7613-1566-7
ISBN: 978-0-7613-1566-7
The Nine; Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court
Jeffrey Toobin
Selected as a best book of the year by Time, Newsweek and the like, this book about recent Supreme Court Justices (Rehnquist, Breyer, Ginsburg, Souter, Thomas, Kennedy, Scalia, O'Connor, Stevens, Alito, and Roberts), falls somewhere between scholarly and popular. With the death of Rehnquist and the retirement of O'Connor, and with the near certainty of further retirements in the near future, this is about transition, about how justices are chosen, how their ideas may be static or may evolve, and about the major philosophical differences among the justices. Serious YA students researching individual justices will find Toobin's style definitely accessible. Following the detailed descriptions of relationships and political influences may be quite challenging for YA readers, even the serious ones. Category: Current Topics. KLIATT Codes: A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. 2007, Random House, Anchor, 452p. notes. bibliog. index., $15.95. Ages 17 to adult. Reviewer: Claire Rosser (KLIATT Review, November 2008 (Vol. 42, No. 6)).
ISBN: 978-1-4000-9679-4
ISBN: 1-4000-9679-0
Our Supreme Court: A History with 14 Activities
Richard Panchyk
With a mix of historical narrative, current events, case studies, and interviews, this wide-ranging volume just might inspire a new generation of constitutional lawyers. After dispatching with the basic institutional history of the Supreme Court, Panchyk gets to the meat of the book: chapters on subject matters such as free speech, freedom of religion, civil rights, criminal justice, and property rights. This could be heavy going, but under this author's adept hand, it is not. Panchyk presents important Supreme Court cases in language that is crisp and clear and pitched appropriately for high school readers. He supplements these case studies with interviews with political and legal leaders, such as Mario Cuomo, Michael Dukakis, Rudolph Giuliani, and Arlen Specter. But many readers are likely to find most interesting the author's interviews with the ordinary Americans whose legal disputes ended up as Supreme Court decisions. These include John Tinker, who was fifteen in 1965 when he got suspended from his high school for wearing a black armband with a peace symbol to protest the Vietnam War. His dispute became Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 1969, a leading precedent on students' free speech rights. Panchyk includes fourteen activities related to the text, mostly group activities suitable for the classroom. This oversized paperback is handsomely designed and features monochrome photographs and reproductions. 2007, Chicago Review Press, $16.95. Ages 12 up. Reviewer: Debbie Levy (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-55652607-5
ISBN: 978-1-55652607-7
Robert H. Jackson: New Deal Lawyer, Supreme Court Justice, Nuremberg Prosecutor
Gail Jarrow
While terms like "the New Deal," "the Nuremberg trail," and Brown vs. the Board of Education are well known in our history, Robert Jackson's part in that history is not as well known. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Jackson loved to learn. His teachers suggested a career in law, based on his eloquence and prowess in debate. By the age of 21, Jackson was championing the underdog. He soon came to the attention of FDR, joining his administration. Jackson's intervention was crucial in the passing of several New Deal laws after the Great Depression. Eventually, his hard work won him an appointment to the Supreme Court. He was one of the presiding judges over the Nuremberg Trial and an eager member of the unanimous vote to end segregation with Brown vs. the Board of Education. His words are still quoted and used as the basis of Supreme Court rulings today. This book is a wonderful look into the life of a very influential and compassionate man, a man who helped shape our history. The text contains many pictures and is written in a very readable manner. I would recommend it for a high school library. 2008, Calkins Creek, $18.95. Ages 14 up. Reviewer: Melyssa Malinowski (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-59078-511-9
ISBN: 1-59078-511-8
Sandra Day O'Connor
Jennifer Howse
Sandra Day O'Connor is the first female Supreme Court judge. Her practice of ensuring that all people in the United States receive fair treatment under the law and her practice of being a good citizen were established from her upbringing on an Arizona ranch. She grew up during the Great Depression, where money was hard to come by, and there was a long term drought that made it difficult for farmers to grow good crops. Sandra attended Stanford University where she studied economics and the law. She later attended Stanford Law School where she hoped to help people who had become the victim of crime. At the time she graduated, many law firms did not want to hire women. Through great adversity, she joined a law firm and later became a judge. She endured many hardships, including cancer and her husband's Alzheimer's disease. This book also includes facts about Arizona, how to become a Supreme Court judge, and how to write a biography. This is an educational read that is a must have for any library. 2008, Weigl Publishers Inc., $6.95. Ages 7 to 11. Reviewer: Jennifer Mitchell (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 1-59036-647-6
ISBN: 1-59036-648-4
ISBN: 978-1-59036-647-9
ISBN: 978-1-59036-648-6
Sandra Day O'Connor: Justice in the Balance
Ann Carey McFeatters
This biography of the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court paints a readable picture of Sandra Day O'Connor from her early days on a huge, isolated range in Arizona to her school days away from her family, her higher education, and her career up to her appointment to the Supreme Court. The author attempts to explain O'Connor's political views and judicial temperament through her upraising and experiences, including her inability to be taken seriously by any law firm when she graduated from Stanford Law School third in her class. Important also is her political career and her life as a wife and mother. McFeatters also goes into detail about some of the major judicial issues of the day, such as affirmative action, abortion, and capital punishment; and she describes the character and personality of the justices with whom O'Connor served. Category: Biography, Narrative. KLIATT Codes: JSA--Recommended for junior and senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2005, Univ. of New Mexico Press, 224p. illus. bibliog. index., $21.95.. Ages 12 to adult. Reviewer: Nola Theiss (KLIATT Review, September 2006 (Vol. 40, No. 5)).
ISBN: 978-0-8263-3218-9
ISBN: 0-8263-3218-8
Sandra Day O'Connor: Supreme Court Justice
Lisa McElroy
In lively prose, McElroy relates significant moments in Sandra Day O'Connor's life. On almost every page, there is a photo or a sidebar featuring additional information. Children will be drawn into her life because the author has included so many items of interest to them, such as how she loved to ride horses or the loneliness of life on an Arizona ranch. The difficulty that she first had getting a job as a lawyer is told with humor and compassion. Children will be able to appreciate the changes that have been effected over the past decades. The author describes Sandra's approach to justice and fairness, citing instances where, even though her personal feelings were different, she upheld what she knew to be fair. Now that Sandra is in her seventies, there is talk that she will retire or become chief justice, but she wants to concentrate on what she knows is most important--being the best justice she can. McElroy makes Sandra come alive as a person, helping young people to realize, first of all, that important people have many of the same characteristics as ordinary people. Secondly, she portrays an older woman in a very positive light, creating a role model for young girls and boys alike. 2003, Millbrook Press, $23.90. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Kathy Egner, Ph.D. (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7613-2502-6
ISBN: 978-0-7613-2502-4
The Supreme Court
Heather Lehr Wagner
Deftly combining broad-brush explanations (how Article III of the Constitution created the Supreme Court) with up-close details (the 1790 controversy over Supreme Court justices' dress), this fine overview of the U.S. Supreme Court is full of interesting information. Wagner ranges far and wide, covering the early days of the Court, major cases through U.S. history, how the Court operates on a day-to-day basis, how oral arguments proceed, and how the justices decide cases. Some of the most fascinating details are found in chapter 5, "How the Supreme Court Works," and chapter 6, "How a Case Is Decided." Those chapters convey an insider's view of the judicial process that interested readers are likely to find quite satisfying. What do the justices and their law clerks do all day? From among the thousands of requests for judicial review they receive each year, how do they choose the relatively small number of cases that they hear? After the justices hear oral arguments, how do they arrive at their decisions, and how do those decisions get written into formal opinions? This book delivers clear and informed answers to these and many other questions. Part of "The U.S. Government: How It Works" series. 2007, Chelsea House, $30.00. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Debbie Levy (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 0-7910-9283-6
ISBN: 978-0-7910-9283-5
Thurgood Marshall: Civil Rights Lawyer and Supreme Court Justice
Brenda Haugen
Thurgood spent most of his life fighting for equal rights for African Americans. One of the greatest victories of his career was Brown v. Board of Education. As a small child he was exposed to race riots, Jim Crow laws, a segregated education, and low paying menial jobs. Thurgood's father Willie instilled the desire to practice law into his son. He often visited the court house, listened to cases being presented, and then told his son about them. Over the years Thurgood was appointed a judge by President John F. Kennedy, was the first black judge to serve on the Second Circuit, which covered New York, Vermont, and Connecticut. When Lyndon B. Johnson was president he appointed him as solicitor general and eventually to the Supreme Court. At one point he was at odds with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., because he felt that the courts were the way to fulfill equality, not peaceful resistance. He eventually came around. Benjamin Hooks, executive director of the NAACP, summed up Thurgood Marshall's contribution: "It is my belief that without Thurgood Marshall we would still be riding in the back of the bus, going to separate schools and drinking ‘colored water.'" The author captures his goodness and his greatness. 2007, Compass Point Books, $31.93. Ages 10 to 12. Reviewer: Leila Toledo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-7565-1877-6
ISBN: 0-7565-1877-6
The U.S. Supreme Court
Anastasia Suen
Illustrated by Matthew Skeens
Marta, a lawyer with a case before the ultimate court in the United States, takes young readers on a tour detailing the history and the role of the U.S. Supreme Court in our nation's government. Starting with a brief explanation of the U.S. government's unique division of power, Marta goes on to explain the many homes the Supreme Court had during our country's early days. Finally, in 1929, Chief Justice William Howard Taft lobbied Congress for a permanent home for the Supreme Court. Marta explains how Cass Gilbert designed the building and then takes us inside for a brief look before telling young readers how important the work our nine Supreme Court justices is to upholding the U.S. Constitution. Part of the 16-title "American Symbols" series, which won Learning Magazine's 2008 Teachers' Choice Award, the text covers Standard 4 of the National Standards for History: How democratic values came to be, and how they have been exemplified by people, events and symbols. As a good nonfiction book should, this title includes a glossary, set of related facts, an index, an age-appropriate bibliography and a link to content-secure sites on the Internet. Accelerated Reader quizzes are also available on the publisher's website. Understanding the role of the U.S. Supreme Court is perhaps one of the more difficult of American concepts to grasp for young students. This book does a very good job of bringing this somewhat obscure topic down to a very understandable level and does so in an accessible and interesting way. 2009, Picture Window Books, $25.26. Ages 5 to 7. Reviewer: Kris Sauer (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-1-4048-4707-1
ISBN: 1-4048-4707-3
Added 02/26/09
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