51-year-old jurist shows off family, is mum on issues

The spectators backed away to make a path in the crowded courtroom for a demure lady with a trademark pageboy haircut who had just become an immortal in American history . Ninety minutes earlier, Sandra Day O’Connor , a 51- year-old Arizona Court of Appeals judge, had become the first woman nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. National and local press representatives squeezed microphones and bulky video equipment into Judge O’Connor ‘s courtroom for a hastily organized press conference on the nomination. Tears welled in the eyes of her oldest son, Scott as her family listened to minutes of applause after Judge O’Connor’s brief press statement. “If confirmed,” she said, “I will do my best to serve the court and this nation in a manner that will bring credit to the president , to my family and to all the people of this great nation.” The judge, who, before Tuesday, was obscure to most non-Arizonans , called the appointment “momentous.” In a televised announcement, Reagan said, “She is truly a person for all seasons, possessing those unique qualities of temperament, fairness, intellectual capacity and devotion to the public good which have characterized the 101 brethren (justices) who have preceded her.” Urging speedy bipartisan Senate confirmation , Reagan – said naming a Supreme Court justice is “the most awesome appointment ” within his powers. “Those who sit on the Supreme Court interpret the laws of our land and truly do leave their footprints on the sands of time, long after