O'Connor: I'm Not a 'Feminist'

Sandra Day O’Connor says the reason she hoped a woman would be named to replace her on the Supreme Court is that it's easier not to be the only woman on the nation's highest bench. As the first female justice, she tells Deborah Solomon in the New York Times that “there was too much media focus on the one woman, and the minute we got another woman, that changed.” So is she a feminist? “I don’t call myself that.”

O’Connor also balks at being termed a centrist foil to her Reagan-era colleagues. “Look, that’s your spiel, not mine," says the feisty Texan. "I tried to decide each case based on the law and the Constitution.” Plus, she won't even dish on which presidential candidate she voted for. “Come on, is this about my website?” O'Connor's website aims to educate children about civics; she notes a poll that found only a third of Americans can even name the three branches of government.

(More Sandra Day O'Connor stories.)