I don’t think it’s the court’s perceived role to do some explaining of a political nature.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNORIn order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity.
More Sandra Day O'Connor Quotes
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I sort of thought the framers of the Constitution were talking about the rights of individuals, not corporate entities.
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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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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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I had become increasingly concerned in recent years about the lack of civics education in our nation’s schools. In recent years, the schools have stopped teaching it. And it’s unfortunate.
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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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The power I exert on the court depends on the power of the power of my arguments, not my gender
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I think I learned to appreciate and treasure each day, because you don’t know how many you’re going to be given.
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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.
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Liberty finds no refuge in a jurisprudence of doubt.
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What was a problem was the excessive amount of media attention to the appointment of the first woman and everything she did. Everywhere that Sandra went, the press was sure to go. And that got tiresome; it was stressful.
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I like to think that the court will continue to be held in high regard by the public. I think it should be.
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How dare you make my life a felony.
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The unhappy persistence of both the practice and the lingering effects of racial discrimination …is an unfortunate reality…and the government is not disqualified from acting in response to it.
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[Court] is an institution that depends on making tough decisions in close cases for reasons that it explains well and that, in the past at least, have proven satisfactory to the public.
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We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary to further the interest approved today.
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