
Sandra Day O'Connor
How an Arizona Cowgirl Became the First Woman Supreme Court Justice
Nancy Hendricks(Author)
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
Published on 2. April 2026
Book
Hardback
288 pages
979-8-7651-2635-6 (ISBN)
Description
A fresh look at the legacy of Sandra Day O'Connor from hardscrabble childhood in the Arizona desert, to facing adversity as a female in politics, to her work as the first woman Justice on the US Supreme Court.
By being the first woman on the Supreme Court, O'Connor set the stage for future gender equity in America's legal system, becoming one of the most significant people in US history. This accessible analysis of O'Connor's life, examines how her early beginnings in the remote desert of the American Southwest, where her family's ranch was 32 miles from the nearest school, shaped her world view and in turn, decisions at the US Supreme Court that affect us today. At first, she aspired to be a cattle rancher, but instead, went on to enroll at California's Stanford University at the age 16. This biography follows her determination as she overcame prejudice and made history by being appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1981; and it places O'Connor in the context of her times by examining how her decisions on the Supreme Court helped to move the country forward and continue to impact us today.
By being the first woman on the Supreme Court, O'Connor set the stage for future gender equity in America's legal system, becoming one of the most significant people in US history. This accessible analysis of O'Connor's life, examines how her early beginnings in the remote desert of the American Southwest, where her family's ranch was 32 miles from the nearest school, shaped her world view and in turn, decisions at the US Supreme Court that affect us today. At first, she aspired to be a cattle rancher, but instead, went on to enroll at California's Stanford University at the age 16. This biography follows her determination as she overcame prejudice and made history by being appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1981; and it places O'Connor in the context of her times by examining how her decisions on the Supreme Court helped to move the country forward and continue to impact us today.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
With dust jacket
Illustrations
12 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
542 gr
ISBN-13
979-8-7651-2635-6 (9798765126356)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Nancy Hendricks holds a doctorate in education and is an award-winning author whose books include Women's Equality in America (Bloomsbury 2024), Daily Life of Women in Postwar America (Greenwood 2021), and Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life in American History (ABC-CLIO 2020), among others.
Content
Series Foreword
Preface
Timeline
Introduction: Why Sandra Day O'Connor Matters
1. Lazy B Ranch
2. El Paso
3. Stanford
4. San Mateo and Germany
5. Phoenix
6. Washington, DC: Pre-2000
7. Washington, DC: Post-2000
8. The World
9. Historical Touchpoints
10. Primary Source Documents
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Preface
Timeline
Introduction: Why Sandra Day O'Connor Matters
1. Lazy B Ranch
2. El Paso
3. Stanford
4. San Mateo and Germany
5. Phoenix
6. Washington, DC: Pre-2000
7. Washington, DC: Post-2000
8. The World
9. Historical Touchpoints
10. Primary Source Documents
Bibliography
About the Author
Index