Editing Sandra Day O'Connor (section)

==Post-Supreme Court career==
[[File:O'Connor and Kagan.jpg|thumb|right|O'Connor in 2008 with [[Harvard Law School]] dean [[Elena Kagan]]. Kagan later became the fourth female justice on the Court.]]

In her retirement, O'Connor continued to speak and organize conferences on the issue of [[judicial independence]].<ref name="NYT1"/> During a March 2006 speech at [[Georgetown University]], O'Connor said some political attacks on the independence of the courts pose a direct threat to the constitutional freedoms of Americans. She said, "Any reform of the system is debatable as long as it is not motivated by retaliation for decisions that political leaders disagree with." She also noting that she was "against judicial reforms driven by nakedly partisan reasoning".<ref name=NPR>{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5255712|title=O'Connor Decries Republican Attacks on Courts|website=NPR.org|access-date=April 4, 2018|archive-date=September 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912235700/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5255712|url-status=live}}</ref> "Courts interpret the law as it was written, not as the congressmen might have wished it was written", and "it takes a lot of degeneration before a country falls into dictatorship, but we should avoid these ends by avoiding these beginnings."<ref name=NPR/>

On November 19, 2008, O'Connor published an introductory essay on a themed judicial accountability issue in the ''Denver University Law Review''. She called for a better public understanding of judicial accountability.<ref>{{cite journal|url = https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/denlr86&div=4|title = Judicial Accountability Must Safeguard, Not Threaten, Judicial Independence: An Introduction|journal = [[Denver University Law Review]]|publisher=[[Denver University]]|location = Denver, Colorado|volume = 86|pages = 1|last1 = O'Connor|first1 = Sandra Day|access-date = November 8, 2021|archive-date = August 6, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200806230459/https://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals%2Fdenlr86&div=4|url-status = live}}</ref> On November 7, 2007, at a conference on her landmark opinion in ''[[Strickland v. Washington]]'' (1984) sponsored by the [[Constitution Project]], O'Connor highlighted the lack of proper legal representation for many of the poorest defendants.<ref name="U.S. News & World Report-2007">{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2007/11/07/justice-oconnors-wish-a-wand-not-a-gavel.html|title=Justice O'Connor's Wish: a Wand, not a Gavel|newspaper=[[U.S. News & World Report]]|date=November 7, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081101105524/http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2007/11/07/justice-oconnors-wish-a-wand-not-a-gavel.html/ |archive-date=November 1, 2008}}</ref> O'Connor also urged the creation of a system for "merit selection for judges", a cause for which she had frequently advocated.<ref name="U.S. News & World Report-2007" /><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/oconnor-and-her-clerk|title=O'Connor and Her Clerk|last=Toobin|first=Jeffrey|authorlink=Jeffrey Toobin|date=June 11, 2012|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en|issn=0028-792X|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511083055/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/oconnor-and-her-clerk|url-status=live}}</ref>

On August 7, 2008, O'Connor and [[Abdurrahman Wahid]], former [[President of Indonesia]], wrote an editorial in the ''[[Financial Times]]'' stating concerns about the threatened imprisonment of Malaysian opposition leader [[Anwar Ibrahim]].<ref>{{cite news|first1=Sandra Day|last1=O'Connor|first2=Abdurrahman|last2=Wahid|authorlink2=Abdurrahman Wahid|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1a03116e-6484-11dd-af61-0000779fd18c.html|title=To defend Anwar is to defend Malaysian democracy|newspaper=[[Financial Times]]|date=August 7, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813081442/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1a03116e-6484-11dd-af61-0000779fd18c.html |archive-date=August 13, 2008 }}</ref>

In October 2008, O'Connor spoke on racial equality in education at a conference hosted by the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at [[Harvard Law School]]. Later in the conference, she was awarded the Charles Hamilton Houston Justice Award alongside [[Desmond Tutu]] and [[Dolores Huerta]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Emily|last=Dupraz|title=Affirmative action is still necessary, says O'Connor in HLS keynote address|url=https://hls.harvard.edu/today/affirmative-action-is-still-necessary-says-oconnor-in-hls-keynote-address/|date=October 27, 2008|website=[[Harvard Law School]]|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts|access-date=August 25, 2022|archive-date=August 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220825173413/https://hls.harvard.edu/today/affirmative-action-is-still-necessary-says-oconnor-in-hls-keynote-address/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Following the Court's ''[[Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission]]'' decision on corporate political spending, O'Connor offered measured criticism of the decision, telling Georgetown law students and lawyers, "that the Court has created an unwelcome new path for wealthy interests to exert influence on judicial elections."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/oconnor-citizens-united-ruling-problem/story?id=9668044 |title=O'Connor Calls Citizens United Ruling A Problem |first=Matthew |last=Mosk |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |date=January 26, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2010 |archive-date=March 10, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110310155647/http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/oconnor-citizens-united-ruling-problem/story?id=9668044 |url-status=live }}</ref>

O'Connor argued in favor of President [[Barack Obama]] naming the replacement for [[Antonin Scalia]] in February 2016, mere days after Scalia's death, opposing Republican arguments that the next president should get to fill the vacancy. She said, "I think we need somebody there to do the job now and let's get on with it. ... You just have to pick the best person you can under the circumstances, as the appointing authority must do. It's an important position and one that we care about as a nation and as a people. And I wish the president well as he makes choices and goes down that line. It's hard."<ref>{{cite news |first=Cristian |last=Farias |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sandra-day-oconnor-scalia_n_56c5313be4b0c3c55053c6d9 |title=Sandra Day O'Connor Says Obama Should Get To Replace Justice Scalia |work=[[HuffPost]] |date=February 17, 2016 |access-date=May 2, 2020 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807192900/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sandra-day-oconnor-scalia_n_56c5313be4b0c3c55053c6d9 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Judge [[William H. Pryor Jr.]], a conservative jurist, has criticized O'Connor's speeches and op-eds for hyperbole and factual inaccuracy, based in part on O'Connor's opinions as to whether judges face a rougher time in the public eye today than in the past.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115992646659882019|title=Neither Force Nor Will, But Merely Judgment|last=Pryor|first=William H. Jr.|date=October 4, 2006|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|access-date=August 8, 2017|archive-date=November 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171124201117/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115992646659882019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2007/03/15/News/Judge.Pryor.On.Judicial.Independence-2777228.shtml |title=Judge Pryor on Judicial Independence |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927021204/http://media.www.hlrecord.org/media/storage/paper609/news/2007/03/15/News/Judge.Pryor.On.Judicial.Independence-2777228.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |work=[[Harvard Law Record]] |date=March 15, 2007 }}</ref>

O'Connor reflected on her time on the Supreme Court by saying that she regretted the Court hearing the ''Bush v. Gore'' case in 2000 because it "stirred up the public" and "gave the Court a less-than-perfect reputation". She told the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' that "maybe the Court should have said, 'We're not going to take it, goodbye,' ... It turned out the election authorities in Florida hadn't done a real good job there and kind of messed it up. And probably the Supreme Court added to the problem at the end of the day".<ref>{{Cite news|first=Dahleen|last=Glanton|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-sandra-day-oconnor-edit-board-20130427,0,1201477.story|title=O'Connor questions court's decision to take Bush v. Gore|date=April 27, 2013|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=May 2, 2013|archive-date=May 4, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504091947/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-sandra-day-oconnor-edit-board-20130427,0,1201477.story|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Granite State Ins. Co. v. Am. Bldg. Materials, Inc., No. 12-10979, 11th Circuit, 2013</ref>

===Activities and memberships===
{{update|section|date=December 2023}}
As a retired Supreme Court justice, O'Connor continued to receive a full salary, maintained a staffed office with at least one law clerk, and heard cases on a part-time basis in federal [[United States district court|district courts]] and [[United States court of appeals|courts of appeals]] as a [[visiting judge]].<ref name="Barnes-2013">{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/retired-supreme-court-justices-still-judge--and-get-judged/2013/03/10/1b22943c-897f-11e2-8d72-dc76641cb8d4_story.html|title=Retired Supreme Court justices still judge – and get judged|last=Barnes|first=Robert|date=March 10, 2013|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511214608/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/retired-supreme-court-justices-still-judge--and-get-judged/2013/03/10/1b22943c-897f-11e2-8d72-dc76641cb8d4_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2008, O'Connor had sat for cases with the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|2nd]], [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit|8th]], and [[United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit|9th Circuits]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/10/oconnor-to-hear-second-circuit-cases.php|title=Paper Chase: O'Connor to hear Second Circuit cases|last=Mulcahy|first=Ned|date=October 7, 2006|work=[[Jurist]]|access-date=November 11, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017170301/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2006/10/oconnor-to-hear-second-circuit-cases.php|archive-date=October 17, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/a_cowgirl_rides_the_circuits|title=A Cowgirl Rides the Circuits|last=Brust|first=Richard|date=April 2008|work=ABA Journal|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511150203/http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/a_cowgirl_rides_the_circuits|url-status=live}}</ref> O'Connor heard an Arizona voting rights case which the Supreme Court later reviewed.<ref name="Barnes-2013" /> In ''[[Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.|Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona]]'', a 7–2 majority affirmed O'Connor and the rest of 9th Circuit panel, and struck down a provision of Arizona's voting registration law.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/justice/scotus-voter-registration-ruling/index.html|title=Justices strike down citizenship provision in Arizona voter law |last=Mears|first=Bill|date=June 17, 2013|publisher=[[CNN]]|access-date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511150344/https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/17/justice/scotus-voter-registration-ruling/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> O'Connor hired a law clerk for the October 2015 term, but did not hire a law clerk for the subsequent term.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abovethelaw.com/2015/07/supreme-court-clerk-hiring-watch-who-is-not-retiring-from-scotus/|title=Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: Who Is NOT Retiring From SCOTUS?|last=Lat|first=David|date=July 8, 2015|work=Above the Law|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108151024/https://abovethelaw.com/2015/07/supreme-court-clerk-hiring-watch-who-is-not-retiring-from-scotus/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abovethelaw.com/2016/07/supreme-court-clerk-hiring-watch-the-official-list-for-ot-2016/|title=Supreme Court Clerk Hiring Watch: The Official List|last=Lat|first=David|date=July 22, 2016|work=Above the Law|access-date=May 10, 2018|language=en-US|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108151035/https://abovethelaw.com/2016/07/supreme-court-clerk-hiring-watch-the-official-list-for-ot-2016/|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:O'Connor, Sotomayor, Ginsburg, and Kagan.jpg|thumb|right|The first four women Supreme Court justices: O'Connor, [[Sonia Sotomayor]], [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]], and [[Elena Kagan]], October 1, 2010. O'Connor was retired when the photograph was taken.]]

O'Connor was elected as an honorary fellow of the [[National Academy of Public Administration (United States)|National Academy of Public Administration]] in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Academy of Public Administration |url=https://napawash.org/fellow/15259 |access-date=April 21, 2023 |website=[[National Academy of Public Administration (United States)|National Academy of Public Administration]] |language=en |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329114542/https://napawash.org/fellow/15259 |url-status=live }}</ref> In October that year,   O'Connor accepted the largely ceremonial role of becoming the 23rd Chancellor of the [[College of William & Mary]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The College of William and Mary announcement of O'Connor's appointment to Chancellor post|url=http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=5234&readMore=true|access-date=November 18, 2005|archive-date=January 1, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101123743/http://www.wm.edu/news/index.php?id=5234&readMore=true|url-status=live}}</ref> O'Connor continued in the role until 2012.<ref name="Whitson">{{cite web|last=Whitson|first=Brian|title=Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates '65 to Serve as W&M Chancellor|url=http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2011/former-defense-secretary-robert-gates-65-to-serve-as-wm-chancellor-123.php|publisher=[[College of William & Mary]]|access-date=September 6, 2011|archive-date=September 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926154257/http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2011/former-defense-secretary-robert-gates-65-to-serve-as-wm-chancellor-123.php|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Haag-2018" /> O'Connor was a member of the 2006 [[Iraq Study Group]], appointed by the U.S. Congress.<ref>{{cite web|title=Iraq Study Group Members|url=http://www.usip.org/isg/members.html| access-date=November 10, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061108223545/http://www.usip.org/isg/members.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = November 8, 2006}}</ref> From 2006, she was a trustee on the board of the [[Rockefeller Foundation]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Sandra Day O'Connor |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/oconnor.bio.clr.html |website=cornell.edu |access-date=March 15, 2020 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806213022/https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/oconnor.bio.clr.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=O'Connor to Join Foundation Board |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/washington/oconnor-to-join-foundation-board.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=April 4, 2006 |access-date=March 15, 2020 |archive-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201121015854/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/04/washington/oconnor-to-join-foundation-board.html |url-status=live}}</ref> O'Connor chaired the [[Jamestown 2007]] celebration, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of the colony at [[Jamestown, Virginia]], in 1607.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}} The Sandra Day O'Connor Project on the State of the Judiciary, named for O'Connor, held annual conferences from 2006 through 2008 on the independence of the judiciary.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Greenhouse|first=Linda|date=June 2008|title=Independence: why & from what?|url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A189537182/GPS?sid=wikipedia|journal=Daedalus|volume=137|issue=4|pages=5–7|doi=10.1162/daed.2008.137.4.5|s2cid=57559095|via=Biography in Context|doi-access=free}}</ref> O'Connor was a member of both the [[American Philosophical Society]] and the [[American Academy of Arts and Sciences]].<ref name="Weisman-1981" /><ref name="O'Connor" />

==== Teaching ====
In 2006, O'Connor taught a course on the Supreme Court at the [[University of Arizona]]'s [[James E. Rogers College of Law]] as a distinguished jurist in residence.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sandra Day O'Connor to Teach at UA |url=https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/sandra-day-oconnor-teach-ua |website=uanews.arizona.edu |date=June 23, 2005 |publisher=The Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of the University of Arizona |access-date=March 15, 2020 |archive-date=November 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108151023/https://news.arizona.edu/story/sandra-day-oconnor-teach-ua |url-status=live }}</ref> On April 5, 2006, [[Arizona State University]] named its law school the [[Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law]] in her honor.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-asu-welcomes-oconnor-w/136103807/ |title=ASU welcomes O'Connor with renaming of law college |date=April 6, 2006 |newspaper=[[The Tempe Republic]] |page=10 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=December 1, 2023 |archive-date=December 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207112832/https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-asu-welcomes-oconnor-w/136103807/ |url-status=live }}{{Open access}}</ref>

==== Publishing ====
{{external media| float = right| video1 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?311561-1/out-order Presentation by O'Connor on ''Out of Order'', March 18, 2013], [[C-SPAN]]| video2 = [https://www.c-span.org/video/?321139-16/interview-sandra-day-oconnor Interview with O'Connor on ''Out of Order'', August 30, 2014], [[C-SPAN]]}}
O'Connor wrote the 2013 book ''Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/books/sandra-day-oconnors-out-of-order.html|title=Bumpy Start for a Court Cloaked in Grandeur|date=March 4, 2013|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 4, 2013|archive-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307111126/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/books/sandra-day-oconnors-out-of-order.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Public speaking engagements ====
On May 15, 2006, O'Connor gave the commencement address at the [[William & Mary School of Law]], where she said that judicial independence is "under serious attack at both the state and national level".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wm.edu/law/cnews/show_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1147725549&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&|title=Maintain Judicial Independence O'Connor Tells Law Graduates|author=Whitson, Brian|access-date=September 19, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060908210008/http://www.wm.edu/law/cnews/show_news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1147725549&archive=&start_from=&ucat=3&|archive-date=September 8, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2008, O'Connor was named an inaugural [[Harry Rathbun]] Visiting Fellow by the Office for Religious Life at [[Stanford University]]. On April 22, 2008, she gave "Harry's Last Lecture on a Meaningful Life" in honor of the former Stanford Law professor who shaped her undergraduate and law careers.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/religiouslife/eventsRathbun.html|title=Office for Religious Life at Stanford University|access-date=April 23, 2008|archive-date=July 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726214456/http://www.stanford.edu/group/religiouslife/eventsRathbun.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 17, 2014, O'Connor appeared on the television show ''[[Jeopardy!]]'' and provided a couple of video answers to the category 'Supreme Court' which appeared on the show. On the same day in [[Concord, New Hampshire]], she gave a talk alongside her former colleague [[Justice David Souter]] about the importance of meaningful civics education in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.constitutionallyspeakingnh.org|title=Constitutionally Speaking New Hampshire|publisher=Constitutionallyspeakingnh.org|access-date=November 2, 2015|archive-date=November 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107005138/http://www.constitutionallyspeakingnh.org/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Non-profits and philanthropic activity ====
In February 2009, O'Connor launched Our Courts, a website she created to offer interactive civics lessons to students and teachers because she was concerned about the lack of knowledge among most young Americans about how their government works. She also served as a co-chair with [[Lee H. Hamilton]] for the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.civicmissionofschools.org/the-campaign/campaign-steering-committee|title=Campaign Steering Committee|publisher=Civicmissionofschools.org|access-date=November 2, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024064553/http://www.civicmissionofschools.org/the-campaign/campaign-steering-committee|archive-date=October 24, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> On March 3, 2009, O'Connor appeared on the [[news satire|satirical]] television program ''[[The Daily Show]]'' with [[Jon Stewart]] to promote the website. In August 2009, the website added two online interactive games.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/08/20/01civics.h29.html&destination=http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/08/20/01civics.h29.html&levelId=2100|title=Celebrities Lend Weight to Promote Civics Education|author=Zehr, Mary Ann|date=August 25, 2009|work=[[Education Week]]|access-date=September 1, 2009|archive-date=August 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828095344/http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2009%2F08%2F20%2F01civics.h29.html&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2009%2F08%2F20%2F01civics.h29.html&levelId=2100|url-status=live}}</ref> The initiative expanded, becoming [[iCivics]] in May 2010 offering free lesson plans, games, and interactive videogames for middle and high school educators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icivics.org/About|title=iCivics (formerly Our Courts) homepage|access-date=December 19, 2010|archive-date=October 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101001211256/http://www.icivics.org/About|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2015, the iCivics games had 72,000 teachers as registered users and its games had been played 30 million times.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/04/14/oconnor-civics-games-legacy/25505871/|title=Sandra Day O'Connor's post-court legacy: Civics games|last=Toppo|first=Greg|date=April 14, 2015|website=USA Today|language=en|access-date=September 3, 2019|archive-date=September 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903020308/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/04/14/oconnor-civics-games-legacy/25505871/|url-status=live}}</ref>

O'Connor served on the board of trustees of the [[National Constitution Center]] in Philadelphia, a museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ncc_about_Board_of_Trustees.aspx|title=National Constitution Center, Board of Trustees|date=July 26, 2010|work=National Constitution Center Web Site|publisher=National Constitution Center|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615033447/http://constitutioncenter.org/ncc_about_Board_of_Trustees.aspx|archive-date=June 15, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=July 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://constitutioncenter.org:80/about/board-of-trustees|title=Board of Trustees – National Constitution Center|website=constitutioncenter.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151024091512/http://constitutioncenter.org/about/board-of-trustees|archive-date=October 24, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=May 16, 2018}}</ref> By November 2015, O'Connor had transitioned to being a trustee emeritus for the center.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://constitutioncenter.org:80/about/board-of-trustees/|title=Board of Trustees – National Constitution Center|website=constitutioncenter.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107064352/http://constitutioncenter.org/about/board-of-trustees/|archive-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=May 16, 2018}}</ref> In April 2013, the board of directors of [[Justice at Stake]], a national judicial reform advocacy organization, announced that O'Connor would be joining the organization as honorary chair.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.justiceatstake.org/newsroom/press-releases-16824/?supreme_court_justice_sandra_day_oconnor_joins_justice_at_stake_as_honorary_chair&show=news&newsID=16396|title=Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Joins Justice at Stake as Honorary Chair|date=April 15, 2013|publisher=Justiceatstake.org|access-date=November 2, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304224728/http://www.justiceatstake.org/newsroom/press-releases-16824/?supreme_court_justice_sandra_day_oconnor_joins_justice_at_stake_as_honorary_chair&show=news&newsID=16396|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009, O'Connor founded the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization now known as the [[Sandra Day O'Connor Institute]]. Its programs are dedicated to promoting civil discourse, civic engagement, and civics education.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://arizonanonprofits.org/members/?id=42354572|title=Sandra Day O'Connor Institute – Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits|website=arizonanonprofits.org|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180510184142/http://arizonanonprofits.org/members/?id%3D42354572|archive-date=May 10, 2018|url-status=dead|access-date=May 10, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oconnorinstitute.org/about/civic-duty-mission/|title=A Mission of Civic Duty and Knowledge – The O'Connor Institute|website=Sandra Day O'Connor Institute|access-date=February 17, 2020|archive-date=February 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217235450/https://oconnorinstitute.org/about/civic-duty-mission/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2019, her former [[adobe]] [[Sandra Day O'Connor House|residence in Arizona]], curated by the O'Connor Institute, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Sullivan|first=Serena|title=Sandra Day O'Connor's house in Tempe added to the National Register of Historic Places|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2019/07/19/sandra-day-oconnors-house-added-in-tempe-national-register-historic-places/1779271001/|access-date=July 9, 2020|website=The Arizona Republic|language=en-US|archive-date=November 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108151023/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/tempe/2019/07/19/sandra-day-oconnors-house-added-in-tempe-national-register-historic-places/1779271001/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2022, the Institute launched Civics for Life, its multigenerational digital platform.<ref>{{Cite web|title=O'Connor U launched by Sandra Day O'Connor Institute|url=https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/sandra-day-oconnor-institute-launches-oconnor-u,161280|access-date=July 9, 2020|website=Your Valley|date=May 27, 2020 |language=en|archive-date=June 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619132418/https://www.yourvalley.net/stories/sandra-day-oconnor-institute-launches-oconnor-u,161280|url-status=live}}</ref>

O'Connor was a member and president of the [[Junior League]] of Phoenix.<ref>{{cite web|title=Sandra Day O'Connor, The Junior League of Phoenix|url=https://www.ajli.org/?nd=p-do-civldr-bio-sandra-day-oconnor|website=ajli.org|access-date=October 24, 2018|archive-date=October 24, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024232503/https://www.ajli.org/?nd=p-do-civldr-bio-sandra-day-oconnor|url-status=live}}</ref>

O'Connor was a founding co-chair of the National Advisory Board at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nicd.arizona.edu/members/sandra-day-oconnor|title=Sandra Day O'Connor|date=January 23, 2012|website=National Institute for Civil Discourse|language=en|access-date=September 3, 2019|archive-date=September 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903020319/https://nicd.arizona.edu/members/sandra-day-oconnor|url-status=live}}</ref> The institute was created at the University of Arizona after the [[2011 Tucson shooting|2011 shooting]] of former Congresswoman [[Gabby Giffords]] that killed six people and wounded 13 others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nicd.arizona.edu/about|title=About|date=July 5, 2015|website=National Institute for Civil Discourse|language=en|access-date=September 3, 2019|archive-date=September 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190903020323/https://nicd.arizona.edu/about|url-status=live}}</ref>