She has served on the Supreme Court for 22 years, but it was in 2003 that O'Connor may have reached the apogee of her powers. As the swing vote in several
5-to-4 rulings, O'Connor brought her pragmatic, just-right-of-center judicial approach to some of the court's biggest decisions. Campaign-finance restrictions, the use of race in university admissions, California's "three strikes" laws—all were upheld last year with her nod.
