I think people know very little, really, about the court, how it works and its history. And both of those things are important in our country, but they’re not things that most citizens know much about.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNORIt was better for me when I was joined at the court by a second woman. When I was there alone, there was too much media focus on the one woman, and the minute we got another woman, that changed.
More Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes
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Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded.
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My sense is that jurists from other nations around the world understand that our court occupies a very special place in the American system, and that the court is rather well regarded in comparison, perhaps, to their own.
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I think most people didn’t want to do court duty.
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I think it’s inevitable that some of the court’s decisions will be found by a segment of the public to be not the right decision or subject to criticism.
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I finally gave up my little law practice and stayed home for about three years. You have to do what you can to keep the family going. But I wanted to get back to work. So I got another babysitter and went to work as an Assistant Attorney General.
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It matters enormously to a successful democratic society like ours that we have three branches of government, each with some independence and some control over the other two. Thats set out in the Constitution.
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The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy.
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I have always thought that while it’s wonderful to be the first to do something, you don’t want to be the last.
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I’m a judge. It seemed to me that it was critical to try to take action to stem the criticism and help people understand that in the constitutional framework, it’s terribly important not to have a system of retaliation against decisions people don’t like.
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If statistics are any indication, the system may well be allowing some innocent defendants to be executed.
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Unfortunately civility is hard to codify or legislate, but you know it when you see it. It’s possible to disagree without being disagreeable.
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It is true that as you have children, there are a good many months when you don’t want to be working full-time. I agree that that’s an issue.
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If parents instill a sense of civic-mindedness – and there is no better way to do that than by example – their children will probably follow.
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Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.
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Having family responsibilities and concerns just has to make you a more understanding person.
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