“The judicial area is a snug fit for her,” Barr says

“The legislature is a political arena where you’re always out in the open getting shot at,” says House Majority Leader Burton Barr. “She’s better suited to the judicial area where things are more relaxed and more scholarly. That’s a snug fit for her.” Few people leave the legislature when they’re m the position of majority leader. O’Connor did in 1974 to run for a seat on the Maricopa County Superior Court. She quickly developed a reputation for being tough on attorneys – some say the way she could “dress down” an unprepared barrister was masterful and devastating. It was in that setting that she solidified a judicial temperament that has been lauded by the president: she believes in interpreting the law, not making it. While conservatives were spreading the word that O’Connor had been “tough on criminals” in her trial court days, liberals were noting her major mark was one of fairness. Arizona courts are notorious for making political rulings. They’re the last chance to keep a controversial issue off the ballot or an unpopular politician from a recall move. They’re a last chance that is often used. So when a controversial initiative challenging the safety of nuclear power was ready to go on the b~ot, a contingent of heavy-duty movers and shakers went into Judge O’Connor’s court to squash the effort. Observers note she had plenty of opportunity to follow the political winds and find a loophole to keep the issue from a public vote. She didn’t. One “fan” of her trial court days