Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to serve on the Supreme Court, died last Friday on December 1st in Phoenix, Arizona at the age of 93. Based on a statement from the Supreme Court, her passing was due to numerous health issues such as a respiratory illness, advanced dementia, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.

O’Connor was a trail blazer for generations of female lawyers- this includes the five women who served after her nomination on the high court. Associate Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Amy Coney Barrett, and Ketanji Brown Jackson all admired her success in a field that is normally dominated by men. She was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, and she served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until 2006. Following her retirement from the Court on January 31st in 2006, O’Connor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on August 12th in 2009 by President Barack Obama. Often, she was the swing vote on pressing social issues. Chief Justice, John Roberts described O’Connor as a “parrot… fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education.”

President Joe Biden, however, claimed her to be “an American icon.” “I do not agree with all of her opinions, but I admired her decency and unwavering devotion to the facts, to our country, to active citizenship and the common good.” She was a woman of conviction, courage, and principal. And although, she was the first woman to serve, she will definitely not be the last.