An Historic Woman

T . H_ E nomination of Arizona state Appeals Court Judge Sandra O’Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court bo~ors the wom~n of America, the people of Arizona and the Judge herself. lf approved by the Senate, as she should be Judge O’Connor will be the 102nd m~mber of the land’s highest court and the first woman justice in the court’s 191-year history. She will give the court its second sitting member from Arizona, truly an amazing accomplishment for a small state. The other Arizonan is Justice William Rehnquist, a law school classmate of Judge O’Connor. Finally, elevation to ~he Supre~e Col!rt will be the crowning achievement m the hfe of the ranch girl from Duncan who climbed the ladder of public service through the state attorney general’s office, the state Legislature, the Superior Court system and the Arizona Court of Appeals. Sandra O’Connor has helped the state in many extra-judicial ways. As a board member she persuaded Ariiona’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield to unite, before the national organizations did so. As president of the Heard Museum, she helped Arizona’s Indian tribes to achieve the recognition they deserve. As a director of the Arizona Academy, she motivated an effective statewide Town Hall unique in America. Judge O’Connor has some rough days ahead. Her every act will be under public scrutiny. There will be a lot of discussion and ex~ination of Judge O’Connor’s feminist views, which perhaps have best been described by a long-time friend. “She never lets you forget she’s