‘Oh Dear’: O’Connor Disappointed to See Some Decisions ‘Dismantled’

In a rare moment of candor about the current U.S. Supreme Court, retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor said this weekend that she has been disappointed to see some of her opinions dismantled.

O’Connor made her comment this weekend at an “unusually candid” panel discussion sponsored by the William and Mary law school, USA Today reports.

O’Connor spoke in response to a question about how she feels when her rulings are undone by the current court. "What would you feel?” O’Connor said. “I'd be a little bit disappointed. If you think you've been helpful, and then it's dismantled, you think, 'Oh, dear.' But life goes on. It's not always positive."

O’Connor also said she thought justices should come from a variety of backgrounds. "I don't think we should have nine clones up there," she said. "I don't think they should all be of one faith, and I don't think they should all be from one state."

Six of the current justices are Catholic, two are Jewish, and one is Protestant. Six justices attended Red Mass this weekend, the Associated Press reports. Those who attended included all but one of the six Catholics (Justice Clarence Thomas didn’t attend), and Justice Stephen G. Breyer, who is Jewish.