WASHINGTON – All nine current Supreme Court justices lined up to pay their respects Monday to the late Sandra Day O’Connor, the court’s first female member.
The justices, joined by retired Anthony Kennedy, stood to greet the lawmaker’s remains in the court’s Great Hall after his casket was carried up the front steps of the building facing the Capitol.
O’Connor’s body will lie in state outside the nation’s most powerful courtroom ahead of Tuesday’s funeral at the National Cathedral, where President Biden will deliver a eulogy.
O’Connor died on December 1 at the age of 93 after serving as a closely watched swing vote on the nation’s highest court from 1981 to January 2006.
President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor less than six months into his first term to replace the retiring Potter Stewart, keeping one of his 1980 campaign pledges, and he easily won confirmation in a 99-0 Senate vote.
Biden, then a senator, was among those who voted in favor of the Republican candidate.
All nine Supreme Court justices gave their remarks to Sandra Day O’Connor. From left, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Sonia Sotomayor Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy. AP O’Connor’s body will lie in state outside the nation’s most powerful courtroom ahead of Tuesday’s funeral at the National Cathedral, where President Biden will deliver the eulogy. Getty Images Former law clerk for retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor awaits the arrival of O’Connor’s casket at the Supreme Court in Washington DC on Monday. Alex Brandon/UPI/Shutterstock The flag-draped casket of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor arrives at the Supreme Court. AP
O’Connor was an Arizona appeals court judge before joining the nation’s highest court and was a Republican state senator from 1969 to 1975 — becoming in 1973 the first woman to serve as majority leader of the state senate.
As a Supreme Court justice, O’Connor often cast the deciding vote in landmark cases, including Bush v. Gore in 2000, in which the court ended a recount of Florida’s presidential vote and upheld Republican George W. Bush’s victory over Democrat Al Gore in 537 vote in the Sunshine State — ensure its Electoral College is successful.
Sandra Day O’Connor’s coffin arrives at the Supreme Court. AFP via Getty Images Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s casket is brought into the Great Hall at the Supreme Court. via REUTERS Sandra Day O’Connor rests in the Great Hall at the Supreme Court in Washington, Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. via REUTERS
O’Connor also sided with the majority in landmark cases such as Lawrence v. Texas in 2003, which struck down state laws against same-sex sexual conduct, and in 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld the federal right to abortion.
Vice President Kamala Harris and second man Doug Emhoff pause in front of the casket. AP O’Connor died on December 1 at the age of 93 after serving as a closely watched swing vote on the nation’s highest court from 1981 to January 2006. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The latter decision was overturned by the court last year in Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization. Jackson.
O’Connor announced his retirement from the Supreme Court in 2005. After leaving the bench, he served as chancellor of the College of William and Mary — a figurehead role once filled by George Washington — for seven years.
Her husband, John O’Connor, died in 2009 after a long decline due to Alzheimer’s disease.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke with retired Justice Anthony Kennedy before the ceremony. AP People paid their respects in front of a portrait of retired US Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor on Monday. POOL/AFP via Getty Images
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
