New England Law | Boston's 2008 Convocation with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

“It’s a tremendous honor for me to be here this evening to celebrate the start of the second 100 years of this amazing law school, and it’s a privilege to be here with ‘America’s Favorite Dean,’” said Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, as she began her Convocation address on September 23, 2008. Justice O’Connor was referring to Dean John F. O’Brien’s (’77) status as the nation’s longest serving law school dean in her remarks to several thousand members of the New England Law | Boston community at the TD Banknorth Garden.

Justice O’Connor was the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, serving from 1981 to 2005. The story of the founding of New England Law’s predecessor, Portia Law School (the first law school exclusively for women) resonated with Justice O’Connor, who faced many challenges in the 1950s when she was breaking into the law field.

One of the Convocation ceremony’s many highlights was a news-show-style Q&A, with Dean O’Brien engaging Justice O’Connor on a wide range of topics. Her humility and directness drew cheers and appreciative laughter on several occasions.

Do You Type?

During her first job interview with a large, distinguished law firm in California after she passed the bar, the gentleman interviewing her asked, “Do you type well, Miss Day? Maybe we could get you on as a secretary.” She turned down the secretarial opportunity to open her own practice. By some twist of fate, a partner from that same law firm went on to become attorney general in the Reagan administration, and called her to ask if she’d come to Washington to meet with members of the president’s staff. “I guess you mean a secretarial position?” she quipped.

Phone Call from the President

The first phone call she received regarding the Supreme Court vacancy was not from President Reagan, but rather from Attorney General William French Smith inviting her to Washington for a meeting, Justice O’Connor explained. She “breathed a sigh of relief,” on the plane home from Washington, assuming that she wouldn’t get the job due to her inexperience in the federal courts. “I did not have a lot of confidence that if I were asked to do it I should say yes—and my heart sank when the phone rang and it was Ronald Reagan on the other end,” she said.

Does Oral Argument Make a Difference at the Supreme Court?

“It can. It’s not typical [that it would]… After you’ve done all of that preparation, you can’t help but have formed some notion about what you think about the merits of each side… but the oral argument can point out a tougher problem than you realized was there or can go a long way toward satisfying a lingering doubt. Once in a while it can be conclusive.”