Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor dies aged 93
She died on Friday morning in Phoenix, Arizona due to complications related to dementia and a respiratory illness, a statement by the US Supreme Court said.
A moderate conservative, Justice O'Connor was appointed to America's highest court by former president Ronald Reagan in 1981.
She served as justice for more than 24 years until her retirement in 2006.
She left the bench to care for her husband, John Jay O'Connor, who was battling Alzheimer's disease. President George W Bush appointed Justice Samuel Alito as her replacement.
In a statement, US Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts called Justice O'Connor "a daughter of the American Southwest" who "blazed a historic trail as our Nation's first female Justice."
"She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor," Justice Roberts said. He added that she was a "fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education."
Justice O'Connor was born in El Paso, Texas, and grew up on her family's cattle ranch near Duncan, Arizona. She then went on to receive her law degree from Stanford University.
In her first job, she said she had agreed to work for nothing, with no office, for a county attorney in San Mateo, California.
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