Newspaper article, Phoenix Gazette, The Kauffman-Henry Collection

Mrs. O’Connor ‘Extremely Happy’

Newspaper article, Phoenix Gazette, The Kauffman-Henry Collection / By

“I didn ‘t believe it, I just didn’t believe it,” Arizona Court of Appeals Judge Sandra D. O’Connor said today after President Reagan nominated her as the first woman justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The president had called her Monday afternoon, informing her of his decision, she said during a morning press conference. “This is a momentous day in my life and that of my family. I am extremely happy and honored to have been nominated,” she told reporters. “IF CONFIRMED, I will do my best t.o 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.” Mrs. O’Connor, 51, considered a moderate-conservative, declined to answer issue-oriented questions from the press until her U.S. Senate confirmation hearings. According to Reagan aide Peter Roussel, no date has been set for those hearings. In announcing his choice for the high court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Potter Stewart, Reagan noted the speculation that was raised concerning the appointment of a woman. “I MADE A commitment that one of my first appointments would be the most qualified woman I could possibly find,” Reagan told reporters at a hastily-called news conference at 8 a.m. Phoenix time to answer specific issue questions, but that didn’t deter reporters from asking politically sensitive questions. MRS. O’CONNOR, described by associates as a moderate-conservative, refused to categorize herself on the political spectrum.

Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection, Tucson Citizen

Mrs. Justice’ from Arizona?

Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection, Tucson Citizen / By

No sooner had U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart announced that he will retire next month than Sen. Dennis DeConcini was campaigning for Sandra O’Connor of the Arizona Court of Appeals as a worthy replacement.

DeConcini’s quick move made sense. For President Reagan has said he will move quickly to fill the vacancy, hoping the Senate can confirm his appointment before the high court reconvenes in October. The promotion of a qualified woman jurist also made sense, because Reagan has indicated the Supreme Court will seat its first female member during his administration. Actually, Democrat DeConcini, who seldom misses a political trick, stole the march on Sen. Barry Goldwater. It would seem that Republican Goldwater should have seized the opportunity to drop the name of Mrs. O’Connor, a conservative Republican and a near-neighbor from Paradise Valley. In any event, Tucsonian DeConcini, facing a statewide re-election race in 1982, no doubt endeared himself to many people in Maricopa County through his alertness. Mrs. O’Connor, 51, an appellate court judge since 1979, is highly regarded. We trust Reagan will give Mrs. O’Connor careful consideration. We were impressed by her five-year performance as a state senator (1969- 74), especially her final two years as a bright and effective Senate pres ident, and we have heard good reports of her even-handedness as a judge, beginning with her Maricopa County Superior Court stint (1974-79). As a clear sign of her popularity, Mrs. O’Connor

Arizona Republic, Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection

Moral Majority, pro-life unit oppose O’Connor selection

Arizona Republic, Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection / By

Members of the Moral Majority and the nation’s largest anti-abortion group vowed Tuesday to seek to block the nomination of Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Feminists, on the other hand, said her nomination was a “great victory.” At the core of the controversy is Judge O’Connor’s positions on abortion and the F.qual Rights Amendment while serving from 1969 to 1974 in the Arizona State Senate. Dr. Carolyn Gerster of Phoenix, internal-affairs chairman of the National Right to Life Committee, said her group will appeal to President Reagan to reconsider his nomination of Judge O’Connor, 51, of the Arizona Court of Appeals. “We are dismayed,” Dr. Gerster said. “We will work very, very hard to convince the president that he received erroneous information and ask him to withdraw her name.” Dr. Genter said that during a meeting with Reagan in January she was satisfied that a Supreme Court justice candidate’s position on abortion would be a “prime concern.” She said pro-life factions, which helped elect Reagan, feel betrayed , because he has not fulfilled a promise to appoint judges who ” “respect traditional human values and the sanctity of life.” In anticipation of Judge O’Connor’s appointment, Dr. Gerster on Sunday sent to Reagan a packet detailing the nominee’s voting record on abortion. Judge O’Connor’s nominatioi;1 also has been criticized by the Rev. Jerry Falwell, leader of the Moral Majority, which opposes the F.qual Rights Amendment and abortion. He said

Arizona Republic, Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection

Moral Majority eases stand on Judge O’Connor

Arizona Republic, Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection / By

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The conservative lobbying group Moral Majority eased back Tuesday from its attack on President Reagan’s nomination of Sandra O’Connor to the Supreme Court. Spokesman Cal Thomas said that although the group remains concerned about Judge O’Connor’s record on the Arizona Appeals Court, “We think the potential is there for the Moral Majority to support Judge O’Connor pending further information.” But Thomas, the organization’s vice president for communications, said the Moral Majority is “not on the verge of supporting Judge O’Connor.” “We want to support the president,” he said. “We’re desirous of seeing a woman on the court . We think it’s long overdue. Let’s not rush to judgment . • “We are still awaiting further information about her abortion position and, pending the reception of that information, we are withholding judgment either pro or con.” Ronald Godwin, vice president and chief operations officer for the Moral Majority, said Tuesday his group’s position remains unchanged. “We still have grave doubts and ‘ reservations,’ ‘ he said. Thomas said he hopes Judge O’Connor will express her views on abortion in talks with Senate leaders. “Some of our friends in the Senate , conservative members, will be asking questions of Judge O’Connor that bad concerned us and will be communicating her answers to the public and, of course, to us as well,” he said. Last week, Thomas called the nomination “a mistake” and said the Moral Majority would oppose it, basing the decision

Arizona Republic, Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection

Moral Majority drops O’Connor Issue

Arizona Republic, Newspaper article, The Kauffman-Henry Collection / By

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Moral Majority said ,Thursday it still is concerned about Judge Sandra O’Connor’s views on abortion but neither will ‘support nor oppose her confirmation as the nation’s first woman Supreme Court justice. The Senate is expected to confirm her Monday. When President Reagan announced her nomination July 7, the Moral Majority called it a mistake and announced a campaign to oppose her, saying she had voted to legalize abortion and had supported the Equal Rights Amendment, which the Moral Majority opposes. Television evangelist Jerry Falwell, who founded the Lynchburg-based conservative political group, changed that position. On July 17, Falwell said he would decline an invitation to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee and would remain neutral until after its hearings, which ended Tuesday. The Moral Majority, in a statement Thursday from its headquarters here, said it remains concerned about Judge O’Connor’s views on “the law as it related to unborn life.” “At the same time, Moral Majority remains convinced of President Reagan’s strong personal integrity and commitment to ending abortion on demand in this country,” the statement added .

Newspaper article, Phoenix Gazette, The Kauffman-Henry Collection

Meet the Press

Newspaper article, Phoenix Gazette, The Kauffman-Henry Collection / By

Media stalk the president’s pick for first lady of the brethren

The paparazzi have come to Phoenix and they’re sprawled both in and out of the waiting room at the Arizona Court of Appeals. ABC, CBS, Time, Newsweek. Correspondents and photographers representing all the news-gathering biggies lean against the huge battery packs they’ve lugged from who knows where to Judge Sandra D. O’Connor’s offices. She’s today’s lead news item, having just made world history books as. the first woman nominated by a United States president to adjudicate from the Supreme Court’s bench. Late arrivals to this news crowd stand in the foyer of the state Capitol looking for vacant spots to prop their heavy strobes and mega-mikes. There’s a member of the ABC team whose blue and white shirt reads “ABC San Salvador Bureau.” A UPI photographer, who flew in from LA the day before, asks him if the shirt is for real. “Yep,” he says rather smugly. A cleaning woman does her best to polish the large glass panes at the west entrance, where the reporters and photographers are camped. Oh, some of the cameramen obligingly move out of her way, but a few “excuse roe’s” later and she figures it’s all too much trouble. She’s off to the other side of the foyer, where her work will be more efficient – until the press goes away. There’s idle banter among the camera crews, whose members recognize one another from former assignments they’ve handled together. They talk .about the heat, where the closest Mexican food restaurant