AZ lawmakers reject Sandra Day O'Connor statue in US Capitol as one claims she was poor jurist

Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated the birthplace of Sandra Day O'Connor.

A gesture to honor former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor crashed and burned in the Arizona House on Wednesday, guided in part by O'Connor's son.

Most of the lawmakers who voted against the resolution cited Scott O'Connor's objection that his mother is already on track to be honored at the nation's Capitol with a plan to place statues of O'Connor as well as former justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. Supreme Court.

A proposal from Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, would have asked Congress to memorialize the Arizona-raised jurist with a statue in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall. But O’Connor testified at a committee hearing earlier this month that it wasn't needed.

His argument was persuasive: House Joint Resolution failed on a 21-38 vote.

Not every lawmaker who voted “no” sided with Scott O’Connor.

Rep. Alexander Kolodin, an attorney who recently was sanctioned by the state Bar Association, urged a “no” vote. He said O’Connor was a poor jurist.

“She made decisions based on what she thought was good policy, not based on the law and the Constitution,” said Kolodin, R-Scottsdale. He ridiculed her support for affirmative action and criticized her for “prolonging” the life of the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion when, he said, the issue clearly was not a federal matter.

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“We cannot allow the distinguished members of this body to have to suffer walking by such an undistinguished jurist when they enter here in the morning,” he said, apparently referring to the Arizona House, although the proposal was to have the statue placed at the U.S. Capitol.

Late last year, Kolodin settled a complaint with the state Bar by agreeing to a public admonishment, an 18-month probation for his law license and the payment of $2,696 to cover the Bar’s cost for its investigation.

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Rep. Neal Carter, R-San Tan Valley, also objected based on O’Connor’s judicial credentials.

For his part, Gress said he pursued the resolution after getting a green light from the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute. The proposal was based on “the outpouring of support and reverence for Sandra Day O’Connor.”

Gress said he planned to call Scott O’Connor to congratulate him on the bill’s failure, noting lawmakers honored his request.

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Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-228-7566 and follow her on Threads as well as on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @maryjpitzl.

Reporter Ray Stern also contributed to this article.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Sandra Day O'Connor was poor jurist, recently sanctioned lawyer says