I once happened to find myself walking behind Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in an airport. (Hartford, CT)
It was a sight to see.
Hours earlier, she had stood in front of thousands to receive an honorary doctorate of law from Yale University. (A quick search shows this was 2006). My guess is, feted and toasted at numerous receptions and meals that preceded that main event.
Now here she was, spotlight gone, helping her ailing husband as they slowly made their way through the terminal to their gate. As any other citizen would. No airs at all.
But they weren’t treated as every other citizen.
People all around stopped and watched. Some gestured in her direction. Whispered to their neighbor. Others smiled and said hello. Some thanked her for her service. (This was pre-selfie days). Some stepped out of their way to make the walk easier, almost a parting of the waters, as if royalty were walking in their midst.
The procession took place the whole way through the terminal. It was muted. Respectful. Patriotic, really.
She was not only a Supreme Court Justice they recognized. She was the woman who had broken one of America’s thickest glass ceilings, an act which had made her an icon from that moment on.
To those onlookers, I sensed, she personified America. The America they were proud of.
I equally remember how gracious and humble the Justice was in her response to it all.
It reminds me of how John and Annie Glenn navigated Ohio.
True history makers and barrier breakers, who spend every day after in the spotlight. Larger than life. Iconic and inspiring. Instantly recognized. Approached from strangers, but strangers who feel a deeply personal connection and familiarity, and a need to share it.
This is the response they experience every day of their lives.
And the truly special ones still welcome every well wisher with respect, patience and warmth. They accept it as part of the role they play. From what I saw, at least, not one greeter of the Justice that day would’ve felt rushed, or looked past, or short-changed. They would’ve later told family, friends and colleagues that they had seen a Supreme Court Justice up close. But not just any Justice. Sandra Day O’Connor—the first woman on the Court. And some would get to share that she’d said hello back.
I know much of her judicial work through my years as a student, practitioner and educator. And yes, some cases I strongly disagreed with.
But when I think of Sandra Day O’Connor, it’s that brief walk through an airport terminal that is the image I’ve never forgotten.
Thank you for your pioneering life of service and mentorship, Justice O’Connor.
And for the grace and humanity you showed along the way.
Well, be that as it may, I am remembering her fondly for upholding abortion rights while on the Court. It took the dark forces another 30 years to finally overturn Roe after the Court was purposely packed by he-who-should-never-be-elected-again. And as a daughter who tended to my Mum with Alzheimer’s, I admire the Justice’s reason for stepping down when her husband was so diagnosed. RIP Sandra Day O’Connor.
Justice O'Connor participated in the ending of American democracy in 2000 by stopping the recount in FL and knowingly handing the Presidency to Bush the Junior. This is her legacy.