“Society as a whole benefits immeasurably from a climate in which all persons, regardless of race or gender, may have the opportunity to earn respect, responsibility, advancement and remuneration based on ability.”
-Sandra Day O’Connor
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(photo taken from www2.lucidcafe.com/lucidcafe/library/96mar/oconnor.html)
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I am for justice. Justice is a vague term and so most people would ask, “what is it that I am really for?” The words of Justice Sandra O’Connor, written above, perfectly depicts what I would describe as justice.
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Sandra Day O’ Connor broke the ultimate “glass ceiling” when she was appointed as the first woman justice to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. She was humbly born and raised in a cattle ranch in El Paso, Texas. She obtained her law degree at Stanford, graduating in two years rather than the three. After graduating third out of a class of 102, she set out to work as a lawyer but was rejected by law firms who did not want to hire women.
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Justice O'Connor was often regarded as a “consummate compromiser,” making it clear it that “the high court's role in American society was to interpret the law, not to legislate.” I’ve always admired her for her generally conservative votes and her political independence. She was never swayed by the unwise decisions of popularly elected government. She was prompt in striking down government rules and regulations which went against her own sense of right and wrong. It is no wonder that she is also called “a modern-day version of Plato’s Guardian, dong the right thing to protect the less enlightened from their own faults and shortcomings.”
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Her unwavering commitment to the cause of justice has shown me that it is possible to uphold one’s integrity even with the politicized legal system that we have. She is truly a role model, especially for lawyers who are everyday faced with ethical dilemmas and are empowered to make significant decisions that will impact society as a whole.
I am for justice. Justice is a vague term and so most people would ask, “what is it that I am really for?” The words of Justice Sandra O’Connor, written above, perfectly depicts what I would describe as justice.
-----
Sandra Day O’ Connor broke the ultimate “glass ceiling” when she was appointed as the first woman justice to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. She was humbly born and raised in a cattle ranch in El Paso, Texas. She obtained her law degree at Stanford, graduating in two years rather than the three. After graduating third out of a class of 102, she set out to work as a lawyer but was rejected by law firms who did not want to hire women.
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Justice O'Connor was often regarded as a “consummate compromiser,” making it clear it that “the high court's role in American society was to interpret the law, not to legislate.” I’ve always admired her for her generally conservative votes and her political independence. She was never swayed by the unwise decisions of popularly elected government. She was prompt in striking down government rules and regulations which went against her own sense of right and wrong. It is no wonder that she is also called “a modern-day version of Plato’s Guardian, dong the right thing to protect the less enlightened from their own faults and shortcomings.”
-----
Her unwavering commitment to the cause of justice has shown me that it is possible to uphold one’s integrity even with the politicized legal system that we have. She is truly a role model, especially for lawyers who are everyday faced with ethical dilemmas and are empowered to make significant decisions that will impact society as a whole.
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