Breaking: First Female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Passes Away at 93 Following Battle with Advanced Dementia

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Former U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor has died. She was 93.

Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor passed away this morning in Phoenix, Arizona, due to complications from advanced dementia, likely Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness, the Supreme Court announced in a statement on Friday, December 1.

O’Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by former President Ronald Reagan in 1981, making her the first female justice to serve on the panel. Reagan had pledged to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court during his campaign and officially offered the position to O’Connor in June 1981.

Reagan praised O'Connor in his appointment speech, describing her as a versatile individual with temperament, fairness, intellectual capacity, and devotion to public good. After 24 years on the bench, O'Connor retired from her post in January 2006.

“A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed a historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability and engaging candor,” Chief Justice John Roberts told Us in his own statement released by SCOTUS. “We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.”

Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in and began her legal career in El Paso, Texas before attending Stanford University for both undergrad and law school in California. She worked as a deputy county attorney in California and a civilian attorney in Germany before relocating to Arizona in 1958. Eventually, she became the assistant attorney general of Arizona before being elected to the Arizona State Senate. O’Connor then served as a judge in the Maricopa County Superior Court before moving to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979.

Following her SCOTUS tenure, O’Connor authored five books about her experience. She also founded iCivics, which is a leading civics education platform in the country.

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Sandra Day O’Connor Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

At the time of her passing, O’Connor was survived by her three sons, Scott, Brian, and Jay, as well as her six grandchildren and brother, Alan Day. Her husband, John O’Connor, predeceased her in 2009 after 57 years of marriage.

Memorial plans will be announced at a later date.