Biden honors former Justice O’Connor's "extraordinary service" at funeral

• O'Connor was nominated to the court by President Ronald Reagan and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 1981. Her body lied in repose in the Supreme Court on Monday ahead of Tuesday's funeral service.

What they're saying: President Biden in his eulogy for O'Connor on Tuesday described her as a "daughter of the American West," adding that she "was a pioneer in her own right, breaking down the barriers of legal and political worlds and the nation's consciousness."

• He also described Reagan's nomination of O'Connor and her confirmation hearing: "Announcing her nomination earlier that summer, President Reagan described her as — and I quote —'a person of all seasons,'" Biden said.
• "And it was a person for all seasons that we saw at this hearing and the Americans and the world would see through her extraordinary service as a justice, and I might add as a citizen: Gracious and wise, civil and principled."

Zoom in: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts also gave a eulogy, saying O'Connor had a "simple and direct" approach to the work of the court, using her practices during oral arguments as an example.

• "After the advocate had gotten through only a couple sentences, the justice would jump in before her colleagues could with a well-prepared question. The question was clear, direct, even enunciated carefully," Roberts said.

• "It went to the heart of the lawyer's case with no fluff. Her approach was: let's get what's most important to me on the table at the outset. Get it done."

Over her 25-year career as a justice, O'Connor authored 676 deliberations, 301 of which were the court's majority opinion.

• She helped decide several pivotal cases, including those involving the Americans with Disabilities Act, affirmative action and abortion.

Go deeper: Sandra Day O'Connor, first woman to serve on Supreme Court, dies at 93

Editor's note: This story was updated with remarks from President Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts' eulogies.