IV 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 357 
Honoring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 12, 2005 
Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida (for herself and Ms. SOLIS) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. 
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 bac-
calaureate degree in economics; 
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor graduated from Stan-
ford 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
•HRES 357 IH 
a deputy county attorney for San Mateo County in Cali-
fornia, 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; 
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed to the 
Arizona State Senate in 1969 and was subsequently re-
elected 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 Ar-
izona, 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 po-
sition until her confirmation as an Associate Supreme 
Court Justice; 
Whereas in 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated San-
dra 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;
•HRES 357 IH 
Whereas in 2004, women accounted for approximately half of 
all students enrolled in law school, compared to 35 per-
cent of law students in 1981 and just 4 percent of law 
students when Justice O’Connor graduated from Stan-
ford Law School in 1952; 
Whereas Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has left a thoughtful 
and enduring mark on American jurisprudence, which 
has been molded through her wisdom and strong char-
acter; 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 profes-
sion. 
Æ