Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O鈥機onnor revealed Tuesday that she has been diagnosed with dementia and would be stepping aside from public life, including as leader of iCivics, the organization she founded to improve civic education for the nation鈥檚 students.
鈥淚 can no longer help lead this cause, due to my physical condition,鈥� the 88-year-old O鈥機onnor said in released by the court. 鈥淚t is time for new leaders to make civic learning and civic engagement a reality for all.鈥�
O鈥機onnor said in the letter that some time ago her doctors diagnosed her with dementia that is 鈥減robably Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.鈥�
鈥淚 will continue living in Phoenix, Arizona, surrounded by dear friends and family,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淲hile the final chapter of my life with dementia may be trying, nothing has diminished my gratitude and deep appreciation for the countless blessings in my life.鈥�
O鈥機onnor stepped down from the court in January 2006 upon the confirmation of her successor, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. This was after she had announced her retirement in the summer of 2005 but extended her tenure when Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died that September. O鈥機onnor had retired to help care for her husband, John O鈥機onnor III, who had Alzheimer鈥檚 and died in 2009.
Upon her retirement, O鈥機onnor occasionally served as a visiting federal appeals court judge around the country and spoke out on causes such as bringing an end to popular election of state judges. But her true passion became improving civics.
鈥淚 will make it my primary focus now to work on civics education in America,鈥� O鈥機onnor told the National School Boards Association in 2008. 鈥淲e have some work to do.鈥�
In 2009, O鈥機onnor said in an interview with 91直播 that her initial efforts were aimed at middle school students, because they were not yet bored with school.
鈥淭hey are soon going to be the adults running the nation, and we want our nation to function,鈥� O鈥機onnor said in the interview.
Her efforts led to the 2009 creation of , a nonprofit that promotes learning about government through online games such as 鈥淲e the Jury鈥� and 鈥淒o I Have a Right?鈥�
鈥淭辞诲补测, reaches half the youth in our country,鈥� O鈥機onnor said in her letter to the public. 鈥淲e must reach all our youth. ... There is no more important work than deepening young people鈥檚 engagement in our nation.鈥�
Louise Dub茅, the executive director of iCivics, said in an interview Tuesday that O鈥機onnor has been a 鈥渇orce of nature鈥� and someone who did not take 鈥渘o鈥� for an answer as she pursued her cause.
鈥淣ot only did she found this organization, she made it a success,鈥� Dub茅 said. 鈥淚 have the utmost respect for her. I am very sad about the current state of her health.鈥�
Dub茅 recalled that O鈥機onnor was last in Washington for two events in 2015, held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in which the three women who followed O鈥機onnor onto the Supreme Court鈥擩ustices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan鈥攚ere in attendance.
鈥淪he was frail then, and getting tired more easily, but she was still very active,鈥� Dub茅 said.
The Associated Press that two of O鈥機onnor鈥檚 sons, Jay and Brian, had cleared out their mother鈥檚 office at the Supreme Court, a chambers reserved for retired justices that has now been turned over to newly retired Justice Anthony M. Kennedy.
Sotomayor , and Dub茅 said the justice鈥檚 service was just renewed for another three-year term. Justice Neil M. Gorsuch has also participated in iCivics events, while Kennedy has also promoted civics education.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said in a statment that he was saddened to learn that O鈥機onnor, 鈥渓ike many Americans, faces the challenge of dementia. But I was not at all surprised that she used the occasion of sharing that fact to think of our country first, and to urge an increased commitment to civics education, a cause to which she devoted so much of her time and indomitable energy.鈥�
In her letter, O鈥機onnor called for efforts to improve civics education to move to the next level.
鈥淚 hope that private citizens, counties, states, and the federal government will work together to create and fund a nationwide civics education initiative,鈥� she wrote.
To that end, Dub茅 said, a new organization is being created, called , that will focus on making civics a greater priority in schools. The new group has more than 40 partnering organizations.
鈥淲e honor our founder and support her call,鈥� Dub茅 said. 鈥淲e are determined to use this moment in time, when our democracy is clearly under pressure, to make it clear that a democratic republic requires an investment in civic education.鈥�
Photo: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O鈥機onnor is shown before administering the oath of office to members of the Texas Supreme Court in Austin, Texas, in 2003. --Harry Cabluck/AP-File