New PBS Documentary Will Focus On Sandra Day O’Connor, First Female Supreme Court Justice

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor delivers the 2010 Sidney Shainwald Public Interest Lecture at the New York Law School, Tuesday, April 6, 2010 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Mary Altaffer / AP

When Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was confirmed to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1981, a rare moment of bipartisan consensus graced the Capitol. Her remarkable life is the subject of a new documentary on PBS, part of the American Experience series.Sandra Day O’Connor: The First was produced, written and directed by Michelle Ferrari, the filmmaker behind another PBS special on women’s suffrage, “The Vote.” Ferrari joined “City Lights” host Lois Reitzes via Zoom to talk about the origins and influence of the Supreme Court’s fascinating first female Justice.

Interview highlights:

On O’Connor’s early life: