I sought information about her and researched her background so I could accurately answer questions about what I thought of the nomination. When I read that she had grown up on the Lazy B Ranch, which did not have electricity or running water during her early years, and loved horses and a sparrow hawk named Sylvester, I thought she had a valuable perspective for the bench. I had great hope for her success on the Supreme Court. As her youngest son, Jay O’Connor, said in his eulogy for his mother, she spent time in the high open desert where she learned “to see forever.”
Justice O’Connor’s background seemed perfect for her judicial responsibilities. Why would I think a non-Harvard graduate would be a good judge?
Maybe because I grew up reading about Nancy Drew and watching Sky King and his sister Penny on television, I thought Sandra Day O’Connor would be a terrific justice. Her early life in Arizona on a ranch with horses and cattle seemed to be an excellent background for someone who wanted to be a good justice. Working with animals requires patience, consistency, determination, and caring research on what is best for your animal. These are the same characteristics that make a judge an excellent judge.
Years later, when I was working on the acquisition of computers by the Indiana Court of Appeals, I visited the Supreme Court to discuss the use of computers and the challenges for a court that required elevated levels of security. The day I was there happened to be Justice O’Connor’s birthday, and her clerks had brought a birthday cake for her. She graciously invited me to her chambers and shared her cake with me. I enjoyed the casual moment.
Our paths continued to cross. I would see her at the National Airport on Fridays heading back to Arizona, and sometimes we were on the same plane. The last time I saw her was July 16, 2015, at a luncheon at the O’Connor House, where she focused on and emphasized the importance of civic education. She founded iCivics, whose award-winning educational resources such as lesson plans, games, and discussion groups are used in classrooms in all 50 states reaching nine million students.
I could discuss her opinions and legal intellect, for her legal intellect was a quality as important as her other qualifications. If a judge lacks an understanding of everyday common life and has not had to juggle and improvise, then the judge is not well equipped to render decisions on ordinary lives.
Justice O’Connor’s instruction in a final letter to her sons—“Our purpose in life is to help others along the way. May you each try to do the same.”—captures the essence of the humbleness and innate kindness that one only finds in the best of judges. She was not trying to establish a following, but Justice O’Connor is my heroine.