Court’s historic day: Now it’s Mrs. Justice O’Connor

…

Then followed the special session of the high court, which began with the traditional rap of the gavel by Court Marshal Alfred Wong and the entrance of the eight black-robed justices. Mrs. O’Connor sat in the “well” of the courtroom at the start of the ceremony, in a chair used by Chief Justice John Marshall more than 150 years ago. Reagan sat on the other …

Harry Day, left his wheelchair and walked with the aid of a cane. Wearing the black, knee-length robe from her days as an Arizona appeals court judge, Mrs. O’Connor smiled at well-wishers on her historic day. Under her judicial robes she wore a pink, long-sleeved dress and a gold choker. Asked about the robe, Mrs. O’Connor replied : “I’ ll buy a new one eventually, when this one gets frayed. They do, you know.” The 52-year-old Arizona jurist carved her place in American history in the dramatic setting of the solemn, velvet-draped, marble-columned courtroom where sit the nine justices who ma~e up the Supreme Court of the United States. Viewing the historic moment were more than 300 dignitaries – led by Ronald Reagan, the man who broke the male-only tradition with his nomination of Mrs. O’Connor to the highest tribunal. She became the 102nd member of the 191-year-old court, replacing Potter Stewart, 67, who resigned from the bench in July and gave Reagan the opportwiity to fuliill his campaign promise to appoint a woman. In addition to Reagan and his wife Nancy, others invited included Vice President George Bush; Stewart