Sandra Day O’Connor

The Dole Institute of Politics will award the 2024 Dole Leadership Prize to Sandra Day O’Connor, former Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court and founder of the nonprofit educational organization iCivics, at a public program on October 24 at 7 p.m. It is the first time the Institute has honored a recipient posthumously.

Scott O’Connor, the late justice’s eldest son, and Louise Dubé, Chief Executive Officer of iCivics, will accept the award and join Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman for a conversation on the late justice’s life and legacy.

The program is free and open to the public—no reservations or tickets are required to attend. The program will also be live streamed on this page of the Institute’s website and on our YouTube Channel.

About Sandra Day O’Connor

Justice O’Connor’s trailblazing career in public service began in San Mateo, California, where she served as a county attorney for free after declining a paid position as a legal secretary, largely due to biases against women in the profession at the time. Her hard work and dedication led her to being offered the position of deputy county attorney.

She settled in Arizona with her husband, John Jay O’Connor, and formed a private practice with another attorney. O’Connor later entered public service in the state, eventually serving in various positions throughout all three branches of the Arizona state government.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to fill a vacant position on the Supreme Court of the United States. Upon her confirmation, she became the first woman to serve on the high court and served on the bench for nearly a quarter of a century before announcing her retirement in 2006.

After leaving the bench, she founded iCivics, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming civic education in childhood education through innovative, engaging games and resources. The organization now reaches some 9 million students annually, supporting more than 145,000 educators throughout the nation. In December 2023, she passed away at the age of 93.

About the Dole Leadership Prize

The Dole Leadership Prize is a bipartisan award presented to an individual or nonprofit whose public service leadership demonstrates the importance of and inspires others to be engaged in political and civic affairs. The award carries a $25,000 prize that is directed to the charity of the recipient’s choice.