The Supreme Court Justice reflects on the court,
the 2000 election and possible retirement
MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD:
A CONVERSATION WITH
SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR
A World Premiere on The History Channel®
Sunday, August 8 at 7 pm ET/PT
NEW YORK, JULY 21, 2004 - Host Roger Mudd, in a rare interview, speaks with Associate Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on the world premiere MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD: A CONVERSATION WITH SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR, Sunday, August 8 at 7pm ET/PT on The History Channel. Justice O'Connor talks with Mr. Mudd about her role on a Court many are calling "The O'Connor Court" as well as her philosophy towards the law and whether or not she plans to retire after the next Presidential election.
MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD, a quarterly special on The History Channel, features host Roger Mudd interviewing a leading American figure from literature, science, law, art, academe or another field - men and women whose work would be viewed in 100 years as important and transforming.
Justice O'Connor has been called the most powerful woman in America. Since her appointment in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan, she has been at the center of a near quarter century of political and social change. Her decisions have helped determine where the country stands on affirmative action, abortion, the death penalty and religious freedom--even who sits in the White House.
"I never aspired to be on the court," she tells Mudd. "I never gave it a serious thought." O'Connor was not surprised that it was Ronald Reagan who ended up nominating the first female Supreme Court Justice. "He [Ronald Reagan] lived in the West for a long time. My experience is that many westerners were willing to let women do whatever they thought they could do in terms of work...I think he was rather interested in my ranch background," she adds. "President Reagan liked horses, and he probably was intrigued that that had been my life growing up."
Today, O'Connor is known more for her centrist position on the court rather than for being its first female jurist. Scholars of the law say she tends to be guided more by the specific facts of each case rather than an overarching legal philosophy. It is this approach that has made so her powerful on a court divided between liberal and conservative. Of the nine justices--two women and seven men--she has been the swing vote on any number of 5-4 decisions. Though conservative by temperament and training, her interpretation of the law is neither stiff nor inflexible.
However, Justice O'Connor deflects the popular notion that she has become the key swing vote on the court. "We all do the best we can with each case as it comes along...I don't think there's a dominant force and I don't claim to be that force." Nor will she make any hint of whether or not, after over 20 years on the bench, she will step down. "I'm sure a lot of factors will go into it," she tells Mudd in regard to retirement. "The main thing is, you don't want to overstay your stay," and then adds, "and I suppose you don't want to cut it short either."
Regarding the 2000 election, Justice O'Connor says that she wasn't surprised by the vehemence of the public reaction to the decision. In the wake of the decision, she says she received a heavy volume of mail, but tells Mr. Mudd, "I didn't read it all." Over the course of the hour, the Justice is very open and revealing with Mr. Mudd:
- Of her first days on the Supreme Court:
"It was very difficult because there is no how-to-do-it manual for a new Supreme Court Justice. You're supposed to know what you're doing and I didn't. And I had no one in my chambers, no secretary, no messenger, no law clerk who had been at the court before, who knew anything about it, how it worked."
- On her interpretation of the Constitution:
"I struggle along just like the rest of the court as we are asked to make interpretations of the Constitution. What was the idea? What were the values that it embodies? We do our best to implement those. Do we always agree? No. That's all right."
- On her relationship with the other justices, who sometimes disagree with her strongly:
"Opinions by members of the court about the important matters that we address are often strongly held opinions. The members of the court care a lot about them and sometimes express themselves in strong terms. But it doesn't carry over to the personal level."
- On the differences between the leadership styles of former Chief Justice Warren Burger and current Chief Justice William Rehnquist:
"I won't go into detail, but Chief Justice Rehnquist values very highly efficiency. And I don't think Chief Justice Burger focused much on that aspect."
- On what she means by the "Majesty of the Law" (the title of her 2003 book)
"The law is what keeps us stable as a nation and as a people...When I travel elsewhere and get a sense of how life is in another country, I realize how precious it is to me to live in my own country where certain basic concepts and rights are protected by our laws and enforceable in our courts. It means something to all of us and in that sense is truly majestic."
MAKING HISTORY WITH ROGER MUDD: A CONVERSATION WITH SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR is produced by Docere Digital Studios, Inc. for The History Channel. Executive Producer for The History Channel is Susan Werbe. Executive Producer is Timothy E. Smith.
Now reaching more than 86 million Nielsen subscribers, The History Channel®, "Where the Past Comes Alive®," brings history to life in a powerful manner and provides an inviting place where people experience history personally and connect their own lives to the great lives and events of the past. The History Channel received the prestigious Governor's award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for the network's "Save Our History®" campaign dedicated to historic preservation and history education. The History Channel web site is located at www.HistoryChannel.com.
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