Having already served in the three branches of state government, O’Connor was about to make an even more profound mark on history. During his 1980 presidential campaign, Ronald Reagan made a commitment to appoint a woman to the Supreme Court of the United States. When Justice Potter Stewart retired in 1981, President Reagan fulfilled that promise by nominating O’Connor, noting that she was a “person for all seasons.” The Senate unanimously confirmed her appointment on September 21, 1981, and four days later, she took her seat on the Bench.
During her nearly 25 years on the Court, Justice O’Connor was often at the center of the Court’s deliberations. While personally disdaining the label “swing vote,” O’Connor frequently found herself referred to as such by the press because her pragmatic approach to judging sometimes resulted in her vote being cast among the majority in 5-4 decisions. She authored 676 opinions in her career, 301 of which were the Opinion of the Court, touching on a wide range of issues. “Being a member of the Court,” she once said, “is a little like walking through fresh concrete. We look back and see our footprints in those opinions that we’ve written and they tend to harden after us.”
Listed below are some of Justice O’Connor’s more prominent opinions.
| AREA OF LAW |
CASE NAME AND CITATION |
| Americans with Disabilities Act |
Sutton v. United Air Lines. Inc., 527 U.S. 471 (1999) |
| Capital Punishment |
Tison v. Arizona, 481 U.S. 137 (1987) |
| Effectiveness of Representation |
Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984) |
| Election Law |
McConnell v. Federal Election Comm’n, 540 U.S. 93 (2003) |
| Employment Discrimination |
Harris v. Forklift Systems, Inc., 510 U.S. 17 (1993) |
| Equal Protection |
Mississippi Univ. for Women v. Hogan, 458 U.S. 718 (1982)
Richmond v. J. A. Croson Co., 488 U.S. 469 (1989)
Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Peña, 515 U.S. 200 (1995)
Grutter v. Bollinger, 539 U.S. 306 (2003) |
| Executive Authority over Enemy Combatants |
Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, 542 U.S. 507 (2004) |
| Federalism |
New York v. United States, 505 U.S. 144 (1992) |
| Federal Habeas Claims |
Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288 (1989) |
| Fifth Amendment and Miranda Rights |
Oregon v. Elstad, 470 U.S. 298 (1985) |
| Freedom of Speech |
Florida Bar v. Went For It, Inc., 515 U.S. 618 (1995)
Board of Comm’rs, Wabaunsee Cty. v. Umbehr, 518 U.S. 668 (1996)
Virginia v. Black, 538 U.S. 343 (2003) |
| Freedom of the Press |
Simon & Schuster, Inc. v. Members of N.Y. State Crime Victims Bd., 502 U.S. 105 (1991) |
| Intellectual Property |
Feist Publications, Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co., 499 U.S. 340 (1991) |
| Jurisdiction |
Asahi Metal Industry Co. v. Superior Court of Cal., Solano Cty., 480 U.S. 102 (1987) |
| Regulation of Abortion |
Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U.S. 833 (1992) |
| Religious Freedom |
Board of Ed. of Westside Community Schools (Dist. 66) v. Mergens, 496 U.S. 226 (1990) |
| Sentencing Guidelines |
Ewing v. California, 538 U.S. 11 (2003) |
| Sexual Harassment in Schools |
Davis v. Monroe County Bd. of Ed., 526 U.S. 629 (1999) |
| Unreasonable Search and Seizure |
Florida v. Bostick, 501 U.S. 429 (1991) |
| Voting Rights |
Shaw v. Reno, 509 U.S. 630 (1993)
Bush v. Vera, 517 U.S. 952 (1996) |