l To a crowd of 6,000 at Brigham Young University on Feb. 1, 1983, O'Connor advocated for reform in the judicial system and said she hoped to see a second woman appointed to the high court during her lifetime. "I hope it doesn't take another 191 years to get a second woman behind the bench."

l The justice spoke at the University of Utah Law School Alumni Association and College of Law banquet on Feb. 1, 1988. She said cases heard and decided by the high court are a reflection of changes in society and new legislation.

l The U.S. Supreme Court's decisions on issues of church and state are of great legal and moral importance, O'Connor said during a humanities conference at the University of Utah on Feb. 12, 1993. "Religion is a profound part of personal identity," she said. "Endorsement sends a message that those who don't believe in a particular way are outsiders and adherents are insiders."

l At BYU, O'Connor told a crowd of about 2,500 students it is possible to have families and a career. "As for young women today, the tide is running in your favor," she said during a speech on Aug. 12, 1994. "The wind is at your back. You will live longer, work more and have more opportunities to influence the direction of society than ever before in our country."

l At Westminster College, O'Connor told a crowd on Jan. 30, 1995, that she does not like the idea of keeping people off juries in high-profile cases just because they've been exposed to news media coverage of the case. And she said a majority vote - not a unanimous vote - by jurors should be sufficient for a conviction.