; Whereas, in 1970, O’Connor was elected to the Arizona State Senate and served 2 consecutive terms; Whereas, in 1972, O’Connor was selected as Majority Leader of the Arizona State Senate, the first time a woman held such a position in any State; Whereas, in 1974, O’Connor was elected as a trial court judge and was later appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals in 1979; Whereas, on August 19, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court to fill the seat vacated by Associate Justice Potter Stewart; Whereas, on September 21, 1981, the Senate confirmed O’Connor’s nomination by a unanimous vote, making her the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court; Whereas O’Connor established herself as a pragmatic, independent voice on the Supreme Court, casting decisive votes during a time when the Supreme Court was being asked to resolve politically charged issues; Whereas O’Connor put a very public face on the role of the Supreme Court, domestically and around the world; Whereas O’Connor became the Supreme Court’s most prolific public speaker, traveling to all 50 States and to countless law schools, libraries, and public events to describe how the Supreme Court works and its role in our constitutional form of government; Whereas O’Connor traveled worldwide as an ambassador for the rule of law and the independence of judiciaries everywhere; Whereas, after 24 years on the Supreme Court, O’Connor announced her retirement to care for her beloved husband, who had Alzheimer’s disease; Whereas O’Connor began her retirement with 2 goals, which were to— (1) convince more States to adopt merit selection of judges for filling vacancies in State courts; and (2) educate the public on the importance of an independent judiciary; Whereas O’Connor's judicial independence work led to her awareness of a national civics education deficit