A press release from the Supreme Court cited O’Connor’s cause of death as “complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness.”

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor came to wield the deciding vote between the court’s conservative and liberal wings and displayed a knack for moderation and compromise that sat well with the broad American

Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be sorely missed and should always be honored, writes former clerk to the late justice, Traci Lovitt. Through merit, government service and personal integrity, Justice O’Connor made history as the first woman on the Supreme Court in 1981,

The court said in a statement Justice O’Connor died of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. She withdrew from public life in 2018 after she was diagnosed with dementia.

Sandra Day O’Connor, the Supreme Court Justice who over and over again provided the deciding vote on divisive constitutional matters, did not like the term often applied to her: “swing voter.” It sounded irresolute,

"I'm not looking for that now. I will leave that to others," she says.Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. Instead, O'Connor, 79, projects the common-sense attitude shared by many women her age: Work hard and do your best.