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O'Connor's Imprint Fades

First female Supreme Court justice's legacy uncertain

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 10, 2008 4:15 PM CDT

(Newser) – Even as Sandra Day O’Connor public profile as an advocate for Alzheimer’s disease research grows, the legal imprint of the first woman Supreme Court justice is fading, USA Today reports. Since her departure, the Roberts court has shifted course on abortion and retreated from positions supported by her swing vote on affirmative action and campaign finance.

Analysts question how much of a legacy a swing voter with an incremental, case-by-case approach to the law could have left. Legal scholars point out, however, that the current court lacks O'Connnor's focus on how decisions affect states. "O'Connor's absence turns the state story into background noise," says a law professor.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, looks on as former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 14, 2008, before the Senate on Alzheimer's disease.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, right, looks on as former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 14, 2008, before the Senate on Alzheimer's...   (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor speaks at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in Minneapolis, Friday, May 2, 2008.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor speaks at the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs in Minneapolis, Friday, May 2, 2008.   (AP Photo/Janet Hostetter)
In a Sept. 19, 2007 file photo retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor addresses a meeting of Pennsylvania judges and lawyers in Harrisburg, Pa. O'Connor is taking her family's struggle with Alzheimer's public as she calls on Congress Wednesday May 14, 2008, to spur efforts to fight...
In a Sept. 19, 2007 file photo retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor addresses a meeting of Pennsylvania judges and lawyers in Harrisburg, Pa. O'Connor is taking her family's struggle...   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, FILE)
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