WASHINGTON – Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said she has the beginning stages of dementia and “probably Alzheimer’s disease.”
The retired Justice made the announcement in a letter Tuesday.
O’Connor, who was the first woman on the Supreme Court, said she learned of her diagnosis “some time ago” and that because her condition has advanced she’s “no longer able to participate in public life.”
President Ronald Reagan nominated her and O’Connor advanced to the court in 1981. She retired in 2005.
In a statement, Chief Justice John Roberts said that he was “saddened to learn” of O’Connor’s condition and added that “no illness or condition can take away the inspiration she provides for those who will follow the many paths she has blazed.”
You can read O’Connor’s full letter below.
Here’s O’Connor’s full public letter, in which she stresses the importance of civics education: https://t.co/ZiWVVbrHJy
— Lawrence Hurley (@lawrencehurley) October 23, 2018
Copyright 2018. WBAP/KLIF News. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
