143 Quotes by Sandra Day O'Connor

I think it's inevitable that some of the court's decisions will be found by a segment of the public to be not the right decision or subject to criticism.

Historically, it took a long time before the court took any women law clerks. Finally, it did, but the numbers have never matched very effectively the percentages of law graduates out of graduating classes. We have far more than we ever did before and it's continued to grow, but it isn't a nice match yet.

I think most people didn't want to do court duty.

Each justice hires their own clerks, and applications are made individually to the justices. It isn't a group decision.

It's hard to have little children and a job and career at the same time. There is no time left for you as a woman.

I didn't want to be out of order answering any questions.

You have to answer the question, like it or not. And the questions deserve a valid legal response, even if the response isn't one that will be easily understood. You have an obligation as a member of the court to do what you are bound to do under federal law, even if it isn't an attractive resolution from a public standpoint.

[Court] is an institution that depends on making tough decisions in close cases for reasons that it explains well and that, in the past at least, have proven satisfactory to the public.

We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone.