Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman appointed to the nation’s highest court, announced her resignation last Friday, surprising many politicians who have anticipated the departure of ailing Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Both O’Connor and Rehnquist graduated from Stanford Law School, with Rehnquist ranking first and O’Connor third in the Class of 1952.

Since her arrival on the court in 1981, O’Connor has proved pivotal on issues including affirmative action, the death penalty and religion. Most notably, her vote reaffirmed Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case permitting women the right to an abortion.

O’Connor’s resignation will grant President George W. Bush his first chance to alter the structure of the Supreme Court, which has remained unchanged for 11 years.

Some students on campus have expressed concern about the president’s impending nomination.

“If evil is replaced by evil then everything cancels,” said senior David Louk. “If a moderate swing-vote is replaced by evil then that is a net loss.”

Other students expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity presented by the vacancy.

“Every person that leaves the Supreme Court, that’s another nomination that Bush can put in,” remarked rising junior Brice Rolsten.

O’Connor will not officially leave the court until a successor has been nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. However, Bush will likely postpone his decision until after his trip to Denmark and Scotland this week, during which time he will review possible nominees. Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has been invited to the White House to speak on O’Connor’s replacement as well, according to a July 2 article in The New York Times.

“The nation deserves, and I will select, a Supreme Court justice that Americans can be proud of,” Bush said in the article.

At the same time, the president cautioned the senate, particularly its Democratic contingent, which has used filibusters to block 10 of Bush’s nominees for federal appeals courts.

“The nation also deserves a dignified process of confirmation in the United States Senate, characterized by fair treatment, a fair hearing and a fair vote.” Bush added.