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== Judicial Philosophy ==

== Judicial Philosophy ==

Justice O'Connor advocated the use of balancing tests, often weighing the state interests against the individual rights.  Often her balancing tests would have multiple parts or prongs, and arguing what would tip the balance to one side or the other became a complex exercise in brief-writing by attorneys before the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] who focused almost entirely on her philosophy.  Almost none of the other Justices embraced this philosophy, and its significance was limited to cases in which her vote was the pivotal swing vote, such as on [[abortion]] and the [[Establishment Clause]].

Justice O'Connor initially was a conservative close in beliefs to Rehnquist, and [[Warren Burger]]. While she did vote for liberal abortion laws in the legislative branch of Arizona government (Reagan even did as governor of California) she was critical of [[Roe Vs. Wade]] by the 1980's. She, for example, and upheld most restrictions throughout the 1980's, but never went far enough to reverse it. All along, she also advocated the use of balancing tests, often weighing the state interests against the individual rights.  Often her balancing tests would have multiple parts or prongs, and arguing what would tip the balance to one side or the other became a complex exercise in brief-writing by attorneys before the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] who focused almost entirely on her philosophy.  Almost none of the other Justices embraced this philosophy, and its significance was limited to cases in which her vote was the pivotal swing vote, such as on [[abortion]] and the [[Establishment Clause]]. By the 1990's she took more of a centrist course, while having a slight conservative lean.

Upon Justice O'Connor's retirement in 2005, [[Ann Coulter]] published a column entitled "Reagan's Biggest Mistake Finally Retires."<ref>http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/printer_friendly.cgi?article=64</ref>

Upon Justice O'Connor's retirement in 2005, [[Ann Coulter]] published a column entitled "Reagan's Biggest Mistake Finally Retires."<ref>http://www.anncoulter.com/cgi-local/printer_friendly.cgi?article=64</ref> Other conservatives felt that while O'Connor disappointed them, she was still a step toward a more conservative court.

== Political Background ==

== Political Background ==