WASHINGTON, D.C.-Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has died at 93.
O’Connor, the first female to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Friday, Dec. 1 from complications of dementia and a respiratory illness, according to a statement from the Supreme Court.
Throughout her tenure on the bench, O’Connor was a moderating voice, sometimes siding with conservatives and sometimes with liberals and often casting the deciding vote in some contentious cases, according to NBC news reporting on her death.
O’Connor notably sided with conservatives to end the Florida recount in 2000 between George W. Bush and Al Gore, however, she voted with the court’s liberal faction to uphold affirmative action in college admissions.
Willing to side with both sides of the bench, O’Connor was seen as the center of the Supreme court from the early 1990’s until her resignation in 2005 according to NBC News.
President Reagan nominated O’Connor for the Supreme Court and she was unanimously confirmed to the court with a 99-0 vote.
