Sandra Day O'Connor: How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice by Joan Biskupic
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"O'Connor enjoyed telling audiences that her husband joked, 'I think it is a tribute to American democracy when a cook who moonlights as a janitor can be elected to high public office.'"
"[...] journalist Howard Kohn described O'Connor in a profile for theLos Angeles Times as 'arguably, the most powerful woman in the nation' [...]"

For such a Supreme Court aficionado as this reviewer Joan Biskupic's biography Sandra Day O'Connor. How the First Woman on the Supreme Court Became Its Most Influential Justice (2005) is a wonderful read. It is a highly recommended read for anyone interested in the political dimension of life in the United States. After all, who sits on the Supreme Court is in many ways more important for the future of the country than who the current president is or which party holds the control of Congress.

[Warning: the following paragraph is a political rant.] Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court is a conservative. I am certainly not one, but nevertheless I am in awe of Justice O'Connor's tenure on the Court, her accomplishments, and of how much she influenced the lives of all US residents. The country needs conservatives as much as it needs liberals. What the country does not need is lying, self-serving scum embracing conservative slogans for personal gain and to wield power. [End of rant.]

This is a traditionally structured biography, where Ms. Biskupic describes, in considerable detail, the trajectory of the future Justice's life and career. The reader is offered interesting analyses of Sandra Day's childhood and early youth experiences on the Lazy B Ranch outside of Duncan, Arizona. We read about her undergraduate studies at Stanford, which she begins at 16. Then the Stanford Law School, where, coincidentally, William Rehnquist, the future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, is her classmate. In 1952, she graduates from Stanford Law in the top 10%, yet the only job she is offered is that of a legal secretary. Then comes marriage and birth of three sons, which is why her husband refers to her, in jest, as a "cook," and a "janitor."

In the 1960s and 1970s, Ms. O'Connor is active in Arizona state politics, including serving at the state senator. At the end of the 1970s, she assumes a seat on Arizona State Court of Appeals. On July 7th, 1981, president Ronald Reagan announces his choice of Sandra Day O'Connor as the first female justice of the Supreme Court. Ms. Biskupic's account of Justice O'Connor's 24 years on the highest court is a captivating read. Some highlights include observations about the dynamic of power on the court between Justices Brennan and O'Connor:

"In some ways, the start of Brennan's declining influence could be traced to O'Connor's appointment."

In other fascinating passages we read about the striking differences, in the later years on the court, between Justice Scalia, who always held definitive opinions on any issue, and O'Connor, who tended to hold open-ended and pragmatic positions in most matters.

Justice O'Connor's tenure on the Court might be illustrated by an ascending line of her influence on the rulings. The quote about her being "the most powerful woman in the nation" is hardly an exaggeration! What I particularly value about Justice O'Connor and what I believe might make it one of the most important justices in the entire history of the nation's highest court is that she was always a voice of moderation and compromise to the extent that she was sometimes accused of wanting "to have it both ways." She embodies the type of a conservative that I can live with: one who eschews ideology and embraces pragmatism.

An engaging biography of a great Justice, and a must read for anyone interested in the workings of the Supreme Court.

Four stars.


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