Sandra Day O’Connor, whom Arizona State University’s law school is named after, died in Phoenix Friday morning. She was 93.
O’Connor was the first female member of the Supreme Court, serving from 1981 to 2006.
Shortly after her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court in 2006, ASU renamed its law school to reflect O’Connor, according to the law school’s website.
The Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law is ASU’s law school located in the Beus Center for Law and Society on ASU's Downtown Phoenix campus.
The law school, once located in Tempe, moved to the Beus Center for Law and Society building on ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus in 2016.
The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law was ranked as the No. 32 best law school in the nation in US News and World Report’s 2023 best law school rankings.
In the 2022 rankings, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law was ranked as the No. 25 best law school in the nation. It was ranked the No. 9 public law school and the No. 5 law school in the west.
The law school’s students work to extend “Justice O’Connor’s legacy and lifetime work” in order to “advance civics education and civic engagement and discourse.”
Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said of O’Connor: “A daughter of the American Southwest, Sandra Day O’Connor blazed an historic trail as our Nation’s first female Justice. She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor. We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And we celebrate her enduring legacy as a true public servant and patriot.”
