Supreme Court honors late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, first woman on the bench

December 18, 2023 09:21 AM

The late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will lie in repose at the court in Washington on Monday, preceding her scheduled funeral on Tuesday.

A private ceremony will be conducted on Monday morning, followed by designated public hours for visitors to express their condolences, according to an announcement by the high court. O’Connor died on Dec. 1 at the age of 93, succumbing to complications associated with dementia and a respiratory illness.

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Sandra Day O'Connor-102318 — Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor applauds as former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is honored as he receives the O’Connor Justice Prize at The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University Justice Prize Dinner Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, in Phoenix. The prize was established to raise visibility for rule of law initiatives and recognize people who have made extraordinary contributions to advancing rule of law, justice and human rights.

Her casket will be placed in the Great Hall on the Lincoln Catafalque, which has been loaned to the Supreme Court by Congress for this ceremony. A portrait of O’Connor from 1999 will be on display during the ceremony, which will be streamed by C-SPAN at 9:30 a.m. and throughout the day.

Members of the public are invited to pay their respects from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The line will form on the sidewalk in front of the high court on the East Capitol Street side, and the public will enter the building through the visitor entrance.

Sandra Day O’Connor, associate justice of the Supreme Court, in 1982.

In 1981, O’Connor joined the court, making history as the first woman to hold the position of Supreme Court justice. Her tenure extended until her retirement in 2006, during which her centrist stance often positioned her as a pivotal vote on significant topics such as abortion, affirmative action, and voting rights.

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President Joe Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks at the private funeral on Tuesday at the National Cathedral in Washington. A livestream of the service will be available at cathedral.org.

The National Cathedral is also where O’Connor regularly attended for worship and served for eight years on the cathedral’s governing board during her tenure on the Supreme Court.