WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts will offer eulogies on Tuesday at the funeral of the pioneering late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
As the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, O’Connor was a genuine trailblazer. She also played a key role for years as a moderate on the conservative court.
O’Connor died Dec. 1 at the age of 93.
The funeral service will take place at Washington National Cathedral, the location of many similar events featuring prominent figures, beginning at 11 a.m. ET.
O’Connor regularly attended services at the cathedral and served on its governing board.
Jay O’Connor, one of the late justice’s three sons, will also speak, as will her biographer Evan Thomas.
O’Connor lay in repose at the Supreme Court on Monday, with members of the public able to pay their respects. A brief ceremony was held in the morning, with Justice Sonia Sotomayor describing O’Connor as a “life role model.”
After being appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O’Connor was for many years before her retirement in 2006 a crucial swing vote on the then-closely divided court, often casting the deciding vote in the most contentious cases.
The court’s shift further rightward in recent years has led to her legacy being unwound, as the 6-3 conservative majority has overturned some of the moderate rulings she helped craft, including a 1992 decision that upheld the right to abortion.
