Sandra Day O'Connor
I wanted since I was the first not to be the last, and I wanted to do the job well, so would provide encouragement for women to serve in the future.
Unknown Speaker
When Justice Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, she had traveled a long road from the cattle ranch in the southwest where she was raised last major gender discrimination roadblocks in the beginning of her legal career.
Sandra Day O'Connor
I didn't know there was a problem out on the ranch, there certainly wasn't a problem. So I was unaware of any gender discrimination, if you will, was not in my scope of experience at all.
Unknown Speaker
When did you first become aware?
Sandra Day O'Connor
I don't know probably much later in life when I tried to get a job.
Unknown Speaker
Were you surprised how limited the possibilities were when you graduated from law school?
Sandra Day O'Connor
I was shocked because I did very well in law school. I was way up here. And I assumed everything would be perfect. And it wasn't I couldn't get a job offer. And I was shocked by that.
Unknown Speaker
After graduating from Stanford Law School when she could not get a job as a lawyer at a law firm, she finally started working as a deputy county attorney in California, so to be nominated to the top court in the country almost three decades later.
Sandra Day O'Connor
Well, it was of course, a surprise that I was and it was very demanding because I had to put forward a demeanor event would enable the voters to say Oh, it would be all right if we had a woman in that position.
Unknown Speaker
During her earliest years on the family cattle ranch, Sandra Day learned to be independent riding horses, and to be a team player working with her family and cowboys. When she was sent off to private school in nearby El Paso, she got a surprising glimpse of greatness in a forceful first lady who stopped by her school.
Sandra Day O'Connor
There was an occasion one occasion I was a student there that the principal of Radford school for girls had met Eleanor Roosevelt somehow and persuaded her to come stop in El Paso and come to Radford school one day. I did not dare tell my parents. I knew they would yank me out instantly and never let me go back if they knew Eleanor Roosevelt was there. Did you ever tell them? No.
Unknown Speaker
As the first woman on the Supreme Court O'Connor has since been honored by several first families. Justice O'Connor became a moderate voice on the bench not to be pigeonholed, protect women's rights and remedies against racial discrimination. She was the only woman on the Supreme Court for 12 years until Justice Ginsburg began to serve. She bravely faced breast cancer seven years into her court tenure, and planned her treatment so she would not miss sittings. What was your most significant contribution here at the supreme court?
Sandra Day O'Connor
I think it had to be to perform my duties here in such a way that it left the door open to put additional women on the court as time went by. That was the thing you didn't want to serve as a woman and do a lousy job. So we weren't going to have another one as long as they could help. But I didn't want that.
Unknown Speaker
O'Connor juggled a legal career and raising three sons.
Sandra Day O'Connor
It's hard work, there's a lot to do. And if you're trying to do a paid job, in addition to taking care of family, it's extremely challenging. We didn't have the means to have household help. In those days. I didn't have any event. So I had to do everything, plus my job. And it was hard. No question.
Unknown Speaker
Now retired from the Supreme Court, Justice O'Connor has a lifelong mission of encouraging Americans of all ages to become more civic-minded. What do you think are the basics everybody should know, every American?
Sandra Day O'Connor
that women are as capable as men of handling all of their jobs from start to finish at state government level in a federal government level? That's very important that our citizens look at women as well as men and say, Well, if we have to pick a new member of Congress, we can certainly consider Susan as well as Jim. They're both capable of doing your job and we're going to evaluate
.