Justice story is a particularly charming one. Born in El Paso, Texas and raised on O’Connor’s a cattle ranch in Court have seemed an unlikely career rural Arizona, ‘Supreme Justice’ may path for a young Sandra Day by the age of eight could O’Connor, who, ‘mend fences, ride horses, fire a rifle, and drive a To all those who later heard her Honour speak of her truck.’ journey it must have sounded somewhat like a fairytale. However, as is the case for many women in the law, it was not all smooth sailing and she suffered from the same discrimination and setbacks many women face in the workplace. Despite graduating third in her class at Stanford University, received just one job offer, as a legal secretary at a law firm. In O’Connor those days the large law firms were not in the business of hiring women as lawyers. O’Connor persisted however and eventually found work as a county attorney before going on to work in a number of interesting roles that would hone her legal skills and broaden her horizons, including as a civilian attorney in Germany, the founder of a law ‘neighbourhood office’ back home in Arizona and even as a State Senator. Justice also suffered personal setbacks. During her time at the Court her Honour fell O’Connor ill with breast cancer and had to endure months of rigorous treatment. During this time her Honour did not miss a sitting day proof of her perseverance, endurance and dedication to her – office. Justice was undeniably an exceptional role model. She showed society, and indeed O’Connor women, what women in power can do, and with that the barriers fell and the path for women on the US Supreme Court was paved. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Justice O’Connor’s story is a particularly charming one. Born in El Paso, Texas and raised on a cattle ranch in rural Arizona, ‘Supreme Court Justice’ may have seemed an unlikely career path for a young Sandra Day O’Connor, who, by the age of eight could ‘mend fences, ride horses, fire a rifle, and drive a truck.’ To all those who later heard her Honour speak of her journey it must have sounded somewhat like a fairytale. However, as is the case for many women in the law, it was not all smooth sailing and she suffered from the same discrimination and setbacks many women face in the workplace. Despite graduating third in her class at Stanford University, O’Connor received just one job offer, as a legal secretary at a law firm. In those days the large law firms were not in the business of hiring women as lawyers. O’Connor persisted however and eventually found work as a county attorney before going on to work in a number of interesting roles that would hone her legal skills and broaden her horizons, including as a civilian attorney in Germany, the founder of a ‘neighbourhood law office’ back home in Arizona and even as a State Senator. Justice O’Connor also suffered personal setbacks. During her time at the Court her Honour fell ill with breast cancer and had to endure months of rigorous treatment. During this time her Honour did not miss a sitting day – proof of her perseverance, endurance and dedication to her office. Justice O’Connor was undeniably an exceptional role model. She showed society, and indeed women, what women in power can do, and with that the barriers fell and the path for women on the US Supreme Court was paved. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg