Statement on Senate Confirmation of Sandra Day O'Connor as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

I want to express my gratitude to the Senate for unanimously approving today the nomination of Judge Sandra Day O'Connor as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Judge O'Connor is, as I have come to know personally, a very warm and brilliant woman who has had an outstanding career in Arizona. I know the Court and the nation will benefit both from her lifetime of work, service, and experience in the legal profession, and from her solid grasp of our Constitution, which she reveres. This truly is a happy and historic day for America.

Judge O'Connor's judicial philosophy is one of restraint. She believes, as she said in her Senate testimony, that a judge is on the bench to interpret the law, not to make it. This philosophy of judicial restraint needs representation in our courtrooms and especially on the highest court in our land.

Let me also say that Judge O'Connor's confirmation symbolizes the richness of opportunity that still abides in America—opportunity that permits persons of any sex, age, or race, from every section and every walk of life to aspire and achieve in a manner never before even dreamed about in human history.