H. Res. 357

In the House of Representatives, U.S., 

March 1, 2006.

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was born on March 

26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas, and grew up in both El 

Paso and southeastern Arizona on her family’s ranch; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor graduated magna 

cum laude from Stanford University in 1950 with a baccalaureate degree in economics; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor graduated from Stanford Law School and was ranked third in a class of 102 

graduates; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor completed law school 

in 2 years, instead of the customary 3, and served on the 

Stanford Law Review; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor entered the public 

sector after her graduation from Stanford Law School as 

a deputy county attorney for San Mateo County in California, after she was unable to secure a position in a 

number of private law firms that employed very few, if 

any, women as attorneys; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor served as Assistant 

Attorney General of Arizona from 1965 to 1969; 
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Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed to the 

Arizona State Senate in 1969 and was subsequently reelected to 2 2-year terms; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor became the State 

Senate Majority Leader in Arizona in 1973, the first 

woman to serve in that position in any State; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was elected in 1975 

as a judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona, and served in that position until 1979; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed to the 

Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979 and served in that position until her confirmation as an Associate Supreme 

Court Justice; 

Whereas in 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor to be the 102d Supreme Court justice 

and the first female member of the Supreme Court; 

Whereas Sandra Day O’Connor was confirmed by the United 

States Senate unanimously on September 21, 1981, and 

took her seat on the Supreme Court on September 25, 

1981; 

Whereas the elevation of Sandra Day O’Connor as the first 

female justice of the Supreme Court helped pave the way 

for more women to enter into the legal profession; 

Whereas in 2004, women accounted for approximately half of 

all students enrolled in law school, compared to 35 percent of law students in 1981 and just 4 percent of law 

students when Justice O’Connor graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952; 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has left a thoughtful 

and enduring mark on American jurisprudence, which 
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has been molded through her wisdom and strong character; and 

Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor blazed new trails for 

her gender and is a role model for all Americans: Now, 

therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) honors Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on the occasion of her retirement from the United States Supreme Court; 

(2) commends Justice Sandra Day O’Connor for 

her hard work and dedication to the law; and 

(3) recognizes Justice Sandra Day O’Connor as a 

pioneer for women in law, helping women become a permanent and integral part of the legal profession. 

Attest:

Clerk.