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At 93 years old, the country's first female justice has passed away.

Sandra Day O'Connor, a trailblazing justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, passed away in Phoenix, Arizona on Friday, the court announced. The cause of death was complications from severe dementia, most likely Alzheimer's, and a lung ailment.

In September of 1981, O'Connor was confirmed by the entire Senate with a vote of 99 to 0. President Ronald Reagan had nominated her.

During her nearly 25 years as an associate justice, O'Connor, a moderate, was frequently the deciding vote in significant cases that made it all the way to the Supreme Court. She retired from the bench in 2006.

Under O'Connor's leadership, the justices rendered decisions in a number of well-known cases, such as Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey, a 5-4 ruling that upheld the constitutional right to an abortion but allowed states to impose certain restrictions. In both occasions, O'Connor took the side of the majority.

In 2019, journalist and historian Evan Thomas, promoting his biography "First: Sandra Day O'Connor," told the National Archives, "She was consequential."

In 24 years, Thomas claimed, she cast the infamous "swing vote" 330 times.

He mentioned many decisions, such as Grutter v. Bullinger, which supported the University of Michigan's law school admissions policy taking race into account, to illustrate where it actually mattered: abortion rights and affirmative action.

Following O'Connor, Justice Samuel Alito authored the majority opinion in 2022 that overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, thereby ending federal abortion rights.

"True public servant" and "pioneer"

O'Connor forged history as our country's first female justice, according to a statement released by Chief Justice John Roberts on Friday.

With unwavering resolve, undeniable skill, and captivating honesty, she took on that challenge. Our dear colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and a persuasive supporter of civics education has passed away, and we at the Supreme Court are saddened by her passing. And we honor her continuing legacy as a genuine public servant and nationalist," he declared.

The country laments the departure of a significant person in American legal history, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement.

From her election to the U.S. Supreme Court as the first female justice, Sandra Day O'Connor led with a conviction and intelligence that disarmed opposition. She was the first female majority leader in American legislative history. According to McConnell, her influence on historic decisions that revived federalism during her first several terms on the Court has left a lasting impact in constitutional jurisprudence. Her vote on the court frequently determined the majority in instances of historical significance.

Midway through the 1990s and early 2000, O'Connor cast critical votes in two 5-4 rulings that declared portions of the Violence Against Women Act and a federal statute that made it illegal to carry a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school to be unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause.

O'Connor, according to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer of New York, was the "conscience of the Court."

O'Connor was one of the real historical figures of the 20th century, according to a statement released by Schumer on Friday. Sandra Day O'Connor was frequently the deciding vote in case after case upholding Americans' rights, including those to vote, clean air, women's rights, and protection from discrimination. I'm grieving her loss today along with every other American in the nation. 

In a post on X on Friday morning, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana called O'Connor a "trailblazer" and a "legal giant."

He claimed that as the first female justice to hold the position, Justice O'Connor inspired a generation of women, including the five female justices who came after her, to follow paths that had previously looked unachievable.

She was viewed as the most powerful Justice on the bench during her career, even though she never held the position of Chief Justice.

Following O'Connor's appointment to the court were the following women: Amy Coney Barrett, nominated by former President Donald Trump in 2020; Ruth Bader Ginsburg, nominated by former President Bill Clinton in 1993; Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, nominated by former President Barack Obama in 2009 and 2010; and Ketanji Brown Jackson, nominated by President Joe Biden in 2022. 

Obama made a statement on Friday that narrated the widely known tale of O'Connor's difficulties in the 1950s to obtain employment in the legal industry as a woman, when she was approached about her typing abilities and given the opportunity to work as a legal secretary.

Luckily for us, Obama added, she set her ambitions a little higher, intending to become the first female justice on the United States Supreme Court. Sandra Day O'Connor was like the pilgrim in the poem she occasionally quoted: she was a judge, an Arizona lawmaker, a child of the Texas plains, and a cancer survivor. She forged a new road and built a bridge for all young women to follow. Michelle and I offer our condolences to Sandra's family as well as to everyone who was inspired by and learnt from her. 

From the Southwest into the capital of the country

O'Connor was raised on an Arizonan ranch after being born in El Paso, Texas, on March 26, 1930.

In 1952, she graduated from Stanford University's law school almost at the top of her class.

After serving as San Mateo County, California's deputy county attorney, O'Connor went on to work as a civilian attorney at Quartermaster Market Center in Frankfurt, Germany, from 1954 until 1957.

Up until 1960, O'Connor was a lawyer in Maryvale, Arizona. From 1965 to 1969, he was Arizona's associate attorney general.

She began serving in the Arizona state Senate in 1969 and eventually rose to the position of majority leader after leaving the attorney general's office.

She was chosen to serve as a judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court in 1975 and held that position until 1979, when she was sent to the Arizona Court of Appeals.

In a statement issued on Friday, Republican Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer stated that O'Connor embodied the finest qualities of both Arizona and the United States.

Mayor of Phoenix Kate Gallego called O'Connor a trailblazer from the start, describing her as a young, independent daughter of ranchers who paved the way to join the nation's highest court. 

She broke down obstacles in her career at every turn, from confronting restrictions in the workforce to being a busy working mother, all while obtaining a law degree at Stanford during a period when many colleges did not accept women. 

An important person for women in law

Five books have been written by O'Connor, including "Lazy B," a memoir from 2001 about her upbringing on a cattle ranch, and "Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court," a book published in 2013.

O'Connor had surgery and medical treatment after receiving a diagnosis of breast cancer in 1988, yet she stayed on the high court bench.

Many people believe that O'Connor had a major role in allowing more women to enter the legal profession.

In a statement released on Friday, former Californian House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that O'Connor was a national treasure and an example to women everywhere. She was also a working mother.

She not only broke through a glass ceiling but also exemplified the best values of our country—courage, integrity, patriotism, and justice—during her tenure on the court. However, Pelosi stated that she was adamant about not being the last, having mentored other women in the legal field, including our dear Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Just 36% of law students were female when O'Connor was selected to the Supreme Court, according to a 2018 article by Jessie Kratz, editor of the National Archives blog. By the time O'Connor retired in 2006, that percentage had increased to 48%.

According to the court's declaration on Friday, O'Connor is left by her brother Alan, with whom she co-wrote, as well as three children and six grandkids.

2009 saw the passing of her spouse, John O'Connor, with whom she had a legendary romance that numerous journalists have described.

As of Friday morning, the court had not yet disclosed O'Connor's funeral plans.