Sandra Day O'Connor, first female Supreme Court justice, says she has dementia

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve as a justice on the U.S. Supreme Court, revealed Tuesday that she had dementia and had decided to withdraw from public life as the disease advanced.

In a letter addressed to “friends and fellow Americans,” O’Connor, 88, wrote that she had received a diagnosis of early-stage dementia “some time ago” and that doctors believed it was most likely Alzheimer’s disease.

“Since many people have asked about my current status and activities, I want to be open about these changes, and while I am still able, share some personal thoughts,” O’Connor wrote in the letter. “While the final chapter of my life with dementia may be trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for the countless blessings in my life.”

She said she would remain living in Phoenix, where she returned when she left the court in 2005. Her husband, John J. O’Connor III, died in 2009 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease, and his diagnosis was a large factor in her decision to retire from the Supreme Court.

For nearly 25 years, O’Connor held the crucial swing vote on the court on numerous key social issues, including abortion and other polarizing topics, and was at the center of major decisions.