Avenger of the Week | Sandra Day O’Connor

Ronald Reagan and Sandra Day O'Connor, 1981

On September 25, 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. Though he vowed to appoint the first woman to the Court during his presidency, Ronald Reagan still managed to shock O’Connor with her nomination because she didn’t even realize she was among the finalists.

Becoming a Supreme Court Justice wasn’t her first foray into genderavenging. In 1973, O’Connor became the first female Majority Leader of a state senate in Arizona.  She remained the only woman to hold that position until earlier this year. (You read that right… she was the only woman to hold that position until 2017!)

Often criticized for her views, Justice O’Connor remained a force on the bench until 2006, no doubt paving the way for the women sitting on the Supreme Court now: Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan.

36 years ago this week, #SandraDayOConnor became the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court. #genderavenger https://www.genderavenger.com/blog/avenger-of-the-week-sandra-day-oconnor