[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.
SANDRA DAY O'CONNORIf I stumbled badly in doing the job, I think it would have made life more difficult for women, and that was a great concern of mine and still is.
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 loved my husband very much, and it was heartbreaking to have him develop Alzheimer’s disease, and to stand by and watch him decline in his ability to take care of himself.
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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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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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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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Historically courts in this country have been insulated. We do not look beyond our borders for precedents.
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If a State refused to let religious groups use facilities open to others, then it would demonstrate not neutrality but hostility toward religion.
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The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy.
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Each justice hires their own clerks, and applications are made individually to the justices. It isn’t a group decision.
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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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I don’t think it’s the court’s perceived role to do some explaining of a political nature.
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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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My hope is that 10 years from now, after I’ve been across the street at work for a while, they’ll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.
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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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The freedom to criticize judges and other public officials is necessary to a vibrant democracy. The problem comes when healthy criticism is replaced with more destructive intimidation and sanctions.
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