FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 1, 2023
Washington, D.C. – The National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD) today mourns the passing of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Our board and staff join the chorus expressing deep appreciation for her distinguished service to the country.
“It was a genuine honor to serve with Justice O’Connor as NICD’s founding Co-Chairs,” stated Senator Tom Daschle. “Her brand of leadership, characterized by both grace and strength, is critically needed in our times. We are immensely grateful for her dedication to NICD. Her passion for engaging differences constructively and for civic education is a powerful example for our nation.”
NICD Executive Director Keith Allred remarked, “In her pioneering role as the first woman on the Supreme Court, Justice O’Connor confronted many of the nation’s deepest divides. Her unfailing example of considering competing perspectives seriously and on the merits is a model for how to navigate today’s bitter conflicts.”
NICD Senior Advisor Judge Thomas B. Griffith, who served as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and worked with Justice O’Connor on rule of law projects in the former communist nations of Eastern Europe, noted, “Justice O’Connor was an inspiring model of a judge who pursued her commitment to the rule of law with the spirit of civic charity that is essential not only for our judiciary to function successfully within our constitutional structure, but for all citizens.”
Keith Allred
202-870-1089
About Sandra Day O’Connor: Sandra Day O’Connor was an American attorney, politician, and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. O’Connor was the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice. She was founding co-chair of the National Institute for Civil Discourse.