Women In Public Service (audio)

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman ever to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court. Yet when she first graduated with honors from Stanford University Law School, third in her class, the only job she was offered by a law firm was to work as a legal secretary. She found work as a deputy county attorney in California, before moving to Arizona, where she opened her own law firm. She was elected to the Arizona legislature and became majority leader of the Arizona Senate. She served as Attorney General of the State of Arizona and was elected Superior Court Judge in Phoenix. In 1981, President Reagan appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2006, she retired from the Court after 25 years of distinguished service.