2024 Dole Leadership Prize to honor late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor

LAWRENCE — The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas has announced it will award the Dole Leadership Prize to the late Sandra Day O’Connor, former associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, at a public program at 7 p.m. Oct. 24. It is the first time the Dole Institute has honored a recipient posthumously.

The Dole Leadership Prize is a bipartisan award presented to an individual or nonprofit whose public service leadership demonstrates the importance of and inspires others to be engaged in political and civic affairs. O’Connor, the Supreme Court’s first female justice, will be honored for her legacy of leadership and her advocacy in spurring civic and government involvement, notably through her nonprofit organization iCivics.

Scott O’Connor, the late justice’s eldest son, and Louise Dubé, chief executive officer of iCivics, will accept the award and join Dole Institute Director Audrey Coleman for a conversation on the late justice’s life and legacy.

“In honor of Constitution Day, we’re proud to announce that the Dole Institute is honoring Justice O’Connor with the Dole Leadership Prize for her lifetime of service to the country,” Coleman said. “Through iCivics, she ensured that her commitment to civics education continues in perpetuity for the benefit of future generations of Americans.”

Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole was a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee during O’Connor’s historic confirmation process in 1981; her nomination was confirmed unanimously by the U.S. Senate. The justice visited the Dole Institute of Politics, in coordination with the KU School of Law, in 2010.

“My wife, Joanie, and I are delighted with the opportunity to accept the Dole Leadership Prize on behalf of Sandra Day O’Connor, whose life’s work and legacy are 100% aligned with those of the Dole Institute,” said Scott O’Connor. “The generous cash award will be forwarded in full to iCivics.org, the leading civics education platform in the nation, free to all, which my mother founded after retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court.”

O’Connor’s trailblazing career in public service began in San Mateo, California, where she served as a county attorney for free after declining a paid position as a legal secretary, largely due to biases against women in the profession at the time. Her hard work and dedication led her to being offered the position of deputy county attorney.

She settled in Arizona with her husband, John Jay O’Connor, and formed a private practice with another attorney. She later entered public service in the state, eventually serving in various positions throughout all three branches of the Arizona state government.

In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated O’Connor to fill a vacant position on the Supreme Court of the United States. Upon her confirmation, she became the first woman to serve on the high court and served on the bench for nearly a quarter of a century before announcing her retirement in 2006.

After leaving the bench, she founded iCivics, a nonprofit organization dedicated to transforming civic education in childhood education through innovative, engaging games and resources. The organization now reaches some 9 million students annually, supporting more than 145,000 educators throughout the nation. In December 2023, she died at the age of 93.

O’Connor is the first jurist and posthumous honoree of the Dole Leadership Prize. Other recipients include former President of Columbia Juan Manuel Santos, former presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, civil rights leader and former congressman John Lewis and former Secretary of State James Baker. The prize carries a $25,000 award.

The free public program be livestreamed on the institute’s website and YouTube channel.