Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, this morning, we lost one of our greatest Americans, and today, I rise along with my colleagues representing all of Arizona, Republicans and Democrats alike, to honor the life and legacy of the most influential Arizonan in history, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who passed away this morning at the age of 93. Justice O'Connor spent her life breaking down barriers in pursuit of a more just society. She blazed every trail she set foot on, defying the odds stacked against women in the legal profession to rise to become Arizona's assistant attorney general, our first female majority leader in the State senate, Maricopa County Superior Court judge, and, ultimately, the first female Justice on the United States Supreme Court. She brought her Arizona brand of pragmatism and independence with her to the Supreme Court and was often the swing vote on deeply consequential decisions. In the years since her retirement from the Supreme Court, I have admired her steadfast commitment to preserving our democracy through objective, fact-based, and collaborative civil discourse through her creation of the Sandra Day O'Connor Institute and, of course, through the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. Her work will inspire future generations to follow her example to become engaged and thoughtful civil participants. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko).”