Sandra Day O`Connor on Government Reform

2000 Bush v. Gore: Florida court ignored Supreme Court

Gore's counsel in Bush v. Gore, David Boies, had admitted the Florida legislature could not do what the Florida Supreme Court had done. Didn't that means the Florida court created new law? Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, for her part, sounded reproachful. She said, "I did not find really a response by the Florida Supreme Court to this court's remand" of Dec. 4. In other words, the Florida Supreme Court had simply ignored her bench's not-so-subtle directive to provide a cogent rationale for its Nov. 21 decision. The Florida Supreme Court had deliberately told the US Supreme Court to take a hike. Boies had no good answer. Scalia came in behind O'Connor, castigating the Florida court for counting 383 newly discovered Palm Beach County and Broward County ballots after being told not to do so by the US Supreme Court. Source: Courage and Consequence, by Karl Rove, p.214 , Nov 2, 2010

Ethical restraints on advertising by lawyers

In her dissenting opinion on the case of Shapero v. Kentucky Bar Association, Justice O’Connor penned this dissenting opinion, which records her philosophy on professional ethics. Her point is worth noting:

“One distinguishing feature of any profession is that membership in that profession entails an ethical obligation to temper one’s selfish pursuit of economic success by adhering to standards of conduct that could not be enforced either by legal fiat or through the discipline of the market. Both the special privileges incident to membership in the profession, and the advantages those privileges give in the necessary task of earning a living, are the means to a goal that transcends the accumulation of wealth. That goal is public service.“

This case removed the ethical constraints on commercial advertising by lawyers. Source: NSPE.org comments on lawyer advertisement ruling , Jul 2, 2005

Limit federal courts on state powers

The nine court members can be divided into three general alliances, but all of the justices have crossed ideological lines. The three conservative justices and two of the swing justices, including O’Connor, usually support states’ rights.

O’Connor sides with the conservative wing on limiting intrusions by federal courts on state powers. She also has a role as the centrist coalition builder.

Source: Reuters article in Boston Globe, p. A45 , Dec 1, 2000

Click here for definitions & background information on Government Reform. Click here for a profile of Sandra Day O`Connor. Wiki Profile of Sandra Day O`Connor. Click here for VoteMatch responses by Sandra Day O`Connor. Click here for AmericansElect responses by Sandra Day O`Connor. Click here for all excerpts for Sandra Day O`Connor.
*Other Justices on Government Reform:*	*Sandra Day O`Connor on other issues:*
Samuel Alito Stephen Breyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg Elena Kagan Anthony Kennedy John Roberts Antonin Scalia Sonia Sotomayor Clarence Thomas *Former Justices:* David Souter Sandra Day O'Connor William Rehnquist John Paul Stevens *Party Platforms:* Democratic Platform Green Platform Libertarian Platform Natural Law Platform Reform Platform Republican Platform Tea Platform	Abortion Budget/Economy Civil Rights Corporations Crime Drugs Education Energy/Oil Environment Families/Children Foreign Policy Free Trade Govt. Reform Gun Control Health Care Homeland Security Immigration Infrastructure/Technology Jobs Principles/Values Social Security Tax Reform War/Iraq/Mideast Welfare/Poverty

Page last updated: Dec 02, 2011