Repost of Blog #38

In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman to be sworn into the US Supreme Court. She was appointed by Ronald Reagan. She went to Stanford University for a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics. She also attended the Stanford School of Law. Later she married and had three children. Her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and she was actively involved in creating awareness. When she started to pursue her career, many people were still against employing women in the field of law. She was offered a job as a secretary but she turned it down. She worked in public service as the Deputy County Attorney of San Mateo County, California from 1952—1953 and as a civilian attorney for Quartermaster Market Center in Frankfurt am Main, Germany from 1954-1960. Later she served as the Assistant Attorney General of Arizona. In ’75 she became the judge of Maricopa County Superior Court. In ’79 she was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals. Then, in 1981 she joined the US Supreme Court. In 2004 she was the second most powerful woman in America. On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of the United States, by President Barack Obama.

Jeanine Pirro was the first of many things for the state of New York. She was the first female District Attorney of Westchester County, the first Westchester court judge, the first woman to try a murder case there, and the first woman to be named “outstanding prosecutor” in the state of New York. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in three years rather than the usual four. She went to the University of Buffalo for her undergraduate and Albany Law School for her juris doctorate. Her marriage was filled with violence and infidelity. That is why in 1997 she chaired the New York State Commission on Domestic Violence Fatalities, whose report and recommendations resulted in legislation passing that enhanced protections of, and safeguards for, the victims of domestic abuse.