Sandra Day O'Connor was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court and remains its only female justice. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed unanimously by the Senate in 1981. During her tenure, she wrote many influential opinions on a wide range of issues, including abortion, affirmative action, and the separation of church and state. O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006 and has since been active in public service.