WASHINGTON: Reti­red US Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the nation’s highest court and a noted pragmatist in an age of deep division, died on Friday. She was 93.

O’Connor died at her home in Phoenix, Arizona, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness, the court said in a statement.

“Sandra Day O’Connor blazed a historic trail as our nation’s first female Justice,” Chief Justice John Roberts said. “She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candour.

“We celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.” O’Connor was appointed to the Supreme Court by president Ronald Reagan in 1981 and stepped down in 2006.

She wielded enormous influence as the key centrist on a sharply divided bench, where she often displayed a preference for pragmatism over ideology.

O’Connor frequently emerged as a crucial swing vote, breaking with her conservative colleagues and providing the fifth vote to make a liberal majority on several key occasions.

Published in Dawn, December 2nd, 2023