South Dakota's Chief Justice to attend invite-only funeral service for Sandra Day O'Connor
Justice Jensen's attendance marks judge's role in nationwide legal community
The state’s most esteemed court justice will attend the private funeral service of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
South Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven Jensen has accepted an invitation to travel to Washington, D.C. next week to pay his respects to O'Connor during a private memorial ceremony at the National Cathedral where she regularly worshipped.
O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the nation’s highest court, died Dec. 1 at the age of 93.
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A member of the Conference of Chief Justices’ Board of Directors, Jensen’s planned attendance at Tuesday’s invite-only service is recognition of his rank in the organization as well as the legal community at large, according to the South Dakota Unified Judicial System.
The Conference of Chief Justices serves as a platform for the highest judicial officers of the states to convene and discuss crucial matters related to the improvement of the administration of justice, rules and procedures, and the organization and operation of state courts and judicial systems.
Appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981, O'Connor’s background as a trial and appellate court judge made her a staunch advocate for state courts throughout her career in public service and after her retirement in 2006.
O'Connor will lie in repose in the U.S. Supreme Court building the day before the National Cathedral service.
