Meredith Herald
Vakant 7, NumbtrS
March 11, 1991 Celebratir^ MtndUb's Cberl«r CerUenMi
Supreme Court
Justice O'Connor
Speaks Today
from the Memlith College Office of Public Relations
Up until the Bush appointment conservative wing of the coan,
of Judge David Souter, Sandra her vote is not a feK^one
Day O'Connor was known as the conclusion. At this wSli«®, lh«
abortion swing vote. Now with decisions seem to be the
the Court probably weighted to prediR.
against abortion, her position, Born in Texas in 1^5®,
while important, will not get the O'Connor attended law sdnooi «
same sort of attention that it has Stanford and received her«teg|iee
in the past. in 1952. While at Starfewl •**;
Last year, for example, was editor of the Law Review.
O'Connor swayed between the Before her appoinetiera O
court's evenly balanced liberal the national bench, she serwdfjm
and conservative wings when two the Arizona Court of Appeals -MSj
Minnesota cases involving parent the Maricopa County Superior
notification before a minor could Court in Phoenix, Arizona,
get an abortion came up for Her legal career coversa spaft
review. She voted with court from private practice to Deputy
liberals in a five to four majority County attorney to army civiliaa
to overturn a Minnesota law attorney for the Quartermaster
requiring adolescents to get Market Center in Frankfurt,
parental consent from both Germany,
parents before obtaining an She has had legislative
abortion. experience in the Arizona Stale
Then she voted with the Senate, first appointed in 19®
conservatives in a five to four and then reelected to two two-
majority that approved the year terms. O'Connor was the
Minnesota law that offers minors first among her Supreme Court
the option of getting permission colleagues to have been elected
for an abortion from a ju^e. to legislative office.
O'Connor has been walking O'Connor is the quintessential
the fence since 1983 when she modern woman. She and her
voted in favor of several state husband, also an attorney, huve
laws that would restrict atx>rtion. been married 39 years and have
In her opiruon she wrote that she three sons. Her reputation as a
could accept such limitations so gourmet cook preceded Jier to
long as they were not "unduly Washington,
burdensome" to the pregnant She was raised on the fomily
woman. ranch in Southeast Arizcaia and,
Each case pushes her to define considered too smart to go to the
what is too heavy. rural school nearby, was sent to
In 1981, she was Ronald her grandmother in El Paso, Texas
Reagan's first appointment and to attend private school,
the first woman justice ever to Justice O'Connor speaks today
come to the court. Although she in Jones Auditorium at 10:00 a.m.
usually votes with the Admission is by ticket only.