Sandra Day O'Connor announces likely Alzheimer's diagnosis
By: News 12 Staff Oct 23, 2018, 2:29pm Updated on: Oct 23, 2018
(AP) Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, says she has the beginning stages of dementia and "probably Alzheimer's disease."
O'Connor made the announcement in a letter Tuesday. She said that her diagnosis was made "some time ago" and that as her condition has progressed she is "no longer able to participate in public life."
O'Connor, 88, was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and took her seat on the court in 1981. She announced her retirement in 2005.
O'Connor's announcement came a day after a story by The Associated Press that she had stepped back from public life.