Chapter 11
The Federal Court System
Male Speaker: In your mind what’s the most important thing you accomplished on the Supreme Court?
Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner: Probably establishing the principle that a woman can serve on it and it’ll be alright, it’s not the end of the world, they can do a good job.
Male Speaker: As the first women on the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor had a say in some important cases during 25 years on the bench she was a swing vote in deciding cases involving abortion, the death penalty and affirmative action.
When people use the term “swing vote” when it comes to you it is a term that bothers you? Are you okay with that?
Justice O’Conner: No, I am not okay with that, I think that’s a term the press developed and it has no appeal for me.
Male Speaker: Since she left the court in January she has been speaking around the country, with candor only a former justice can get away with.
Justice O’Conner: I did learn that legislators care more about getting a law passed with their name on it then about what it says.
Male Speaker: And she has been speaking out against what she says is the biggest threat facing the Supreme Court, attacks on the independence of the judiciary.
Male Speaker: You had said in a speech not to long ago that you were worried about the stability of the system of constitutional checks and balances. What do you mean by that?
Justice O’Conner: What we are hearing more of today at times from legislative members at both the national and state level is threats for retribution against judges for certain decisions. Let’s deprive them of jurisdiction over certain kinds of cases, let’s cut the budgets of the courts and show them that they were wrong. That we didn’t like that I mean that’s contrary to every notion of judicial independence that we know from the time that our Constitution was adopted.
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