Evan and Oscie Thomas on Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the Supreme Court Then and Today

Early Returns - Law and Politics with Jan Baran

The first Monday in October is the traditional beginning of a new Supreme Court term. This week the nine justices began hearing cases that involve our constitutional rights and that shape U.S. law. Each term, the Supreme Court seems to be tackling the big issues including abortion, gun rights, voting rights, affirmative action and the checks and balances of the constitutional powers of Congress, the White House, and the Judiciary.

The last term was significant for many reasons including the Court’s decision that overturned the 1973 case of Roe v. Wade, which established a right to abortion under certain conditions.

In the past 50 years, there may not have been a more important Justice on the Supreme Court than Sandra Day O’Connor. She was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and retired in 2005. She regularly was the deciding fifth vote on important cases including abortion cases. She also was the first woman to serve as a Justice on the Court.

Jan speaks to Evan and Osceola (“Oscie”) Thomas about the Justice and the Supreme Court today. Evan and Oscie collaborated on First, the Sandra Day O’Connor biography. They discuss the relationship of the Justices, including the one between O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

The candid discussion about Justice O’Connor, the Court, her role in specific cases, and her legacy ends with a book recommendation about Franklin Roosevelt and how his battle with polio made him a strong president entitled Becoming FDR by Jonathan Darman.
About Evan and Oscie Thomas:
Evan Thomas is the author of ten books: The Wise Men (with Walter Isaacson), The Man to See, The Very Best Men, Robert Kennedy, John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder, The War Lovers, Ike’s Bluff, Being Nixon and First: Sandra Day O’Connor. John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder, Being Nixon and First were New York Times bestsellers. Thomas was a writer, editor and correspondent for 33 years at Time and Newsweek magazines, including ten years (1986-96) as Washington bureau chief at Newsweek. His current book-in-progress is an account of the final days of World War II. He has appeared on many TV shows, including Meet the Press, CBS Morning News, Morning Joe and the Colbert Report. Thomas has taught writing and journalism at Harvard and Princeton, where, from 2007-2014, he was Ferris Professor of Journalism.
Oscie Thomas graduated from Stanford and the University of Virginia law school, where she was classmates with Evan. In 1977, she joined Donovan Leisure, a litigation firm, in New York and Washington DC, before moving to AT&T, retiring as a Federal Government Affairs Vice President in 2000. Since then she has worked with Evan as an editor and researcher. She was deeply involved in First, a biography of Sandra Day O’Connor.