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Sandra Day O’Connor

“The American public as a whole is not well educated on the role of judges or on the role of the US Supreme Court. I think there is a lack of understanding and appreciation of our system and how issues are resolved.”

The first female US Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O’Connor joined the court in 1981. Her appointment followed a career in public service in Arizona. Since retiring, she has dedicated herself to creating a Web-based program, icivics.org, to teach children about American government. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.