Former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor's Cause Of Death Revealed

Sandra Day O'Connor has passed away at age 93, as announced by the court on Friday morning.

The former United States Justice, who shattered the glass ceiling as the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, is said to have died from complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. O'Connor was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Reagan in 1981 and served over 24 years until her retirement in 2006.

Born in Arizona in March 1930, O'Connor's upbringing fostered her self-reliance and independence, shaped by activities such as driving tractors, branding cattle, and firing rifles on the Lazy B Ranch. 

Despite facing rejection from law firms due to her gender after graduating from Stanford Law School, she established a firm with her husband. The Stanford University alum then became the first female majority leader in the Arizona State Senate. She later served as a judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court and the Arizona Court of Appeals.

During her time in the Supreme Court, the former politician earned the title of "the most powerful woman in America." The title resulted from her pivotal role in a closely divided court that led her to cast decisive votes on major issues like abortion, national security, affirmative action, campaign finance reform, and separation of church and state.

Unfortunately, before her death, she got to witness a conservative-leaning court overturn an abortion decision she contributed to in 1992, altering the separation between church and state, and focusing on affirmative action.

Even though she was occasionally criticized for not adhering to a strict judicial doctrine, O'Connor was recognized as a pragmatic justice who approached issues on a case-by-case basis.

Former clerk Marci Hamilton disputed the notion that the Presidential Medal of Honor recipient was a fence-sitter, emphasizing that those who had met her understood her independence and ability to make decisions on her terms. In her words:

"Those would be the people who have never met her. Anyone who has met her knows that she makes up her own mind and is not at all concerned where anyone else is on the spectrum."

As for her ailment, O'Connor disclosed being diagnosed with the initial stages of dementia in a heartfelt letter in 2018. She wrote:

"While the final chapter of my life with dementia may be trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for the countless blessings of my life."

Following her departure from the Supreme Court and before her Alzheimer's diagnosis, the Republican championed Alzheimer's disease advocacy and launched a website to promote civic education among young people.

Amid all these, O'Connor was acutely aware of the symbolic significance of her historic role as the first female justice. As she told CNN in a previous interview:

"Let me tell you one reason why I think it's important, and that is for the public generally to see and respect the fact that in positions of power and authority, that women are well-represented. That it is not an all-male governance, as it once was."

Shedding more light on her days on the Supreme Court, NBC reported that O'Connor came as a strong recommendation when President Reagan sought to fulfill his campaign promise of appointing a woman to the Supreme Court. The politician and actor would then introduce his nominee to the U.S. media in the Rose Garden on July 15, 1981.

A little over two months later, on September 10, 1981, the late 93-year-old took the oath before the Senate Judiciary Committee during her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill.

Her addition to the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States was unanimously approved on September 21. She was sworn in by Chief Justice Warren Burger at the Supreme Court on September 25, 1981, and resumed office on October 5.

Upon the Austin High School graduate's retirement in 2006, President George W. Bush nominated a significantly more conservative justice, Samuel Alito, in her stead, shifting the court in a considerably more conservative direction.

Speaking on her accomplishment as the first woman on the Supreme Court, O'Connor stated, "It's thrilling, in a way, to be the first to do something, the first woman ever to serve on the court. But it's dreadful if you're the last. And if I didn't do the job well, that's what would happen."