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9, 1981, the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned O'Connor, heard from Arizonans who mostly raved about her work at the state Legislature and also considered some dissenters, many of whom were troubled that she seemed tolerant of abortion rights. Over three days in Washington, beginning Sept. Reagan "airily dismissed" them as the view of a "fanatic." Jesse Helms, R-N.C., who was concerned about O'Connor's position on abortion as outlined by her Arizona critics. In his O'Connor biography, "First," author Evan Thomas noted a meeting Reagan held with U.S. But polling found the public overwhelmingly welcomed a woman to the Supreme Court and specifically considered O'Connor qualified.īehind the scenes, Reagan helped dissipate concerns about his nominee's conservative credentials. O'Connor, a former state lawmaker who had begun working as a judge only seven years before, had no experience in the federal courts at the time. In a move that surprised many in legal circles, he selected O'Connor, who was then a 51-year-old judge on Arizona's Court of Appeals. In July 1981, President Ronald Reagan made good on a campaign promise the year before that he would appoint a woman to the Supreme Court.
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"Even when she was nominated, she was essentially an anachronism," Hirshman said.