Now It’s Madam Justice

Reagan Appoints First Woman to U.S. Supreme Court

WASHINGTON , D. C.- Next week (October 5) the U .S . Supreme Court will-for the first time-gain a woman ‘s touch . After 191 years and 101 male members, the Court is expected to welcome Sandra Day O’Connor as an Associate Justice. President Reagan has appointed her to take the place of Justice Potter Stewart , who retired . The President’ s nomination of Judge O’Connor , which came last July, fulfilled a campaign promise. But President Reagan made it clear that keeping the promise wasn’t his main reason for the appointment. “[I did not pledge] I would appoint a woman merely to do so,” he told reporters . ” Rather , I pledged to appoint a woman who meets the very high standards I demand of all Court appointees .” ‘Smart, Fair’ At the age of 5 I, Sandra O’Con – nor comes to the Supreme Court with a distinguished background . She grew up on her parents’ Lazy B ranch in Arizona but went to private school in El Paso, Tex . During summers, she says, she went back to the ranch and “fixed windmills and repaired fences .” At the age of 17 she entered Stanford University and graduated with honors . She finished Stanford Law School among the top ten in her class. Judge O’Connor was married shortly after graduating from law school to John Jay O’Connor, also a lawyer . They have three sons. From 1965 through 1968 she served as assistant attorney general of Arizona. Then she was elected to the state senate and became senate majority leader