Arizona Judge's Opinions Clear

July 7, 1981

ITEM DETAILS
Type: Newspaper article
Author: Associated Press
Source: Casa Grande Dispatch
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Restraint and clear writing are the key traits of the decisions written by Judge Sandra D. O'Connor, but they give little indication of her stance on the major issues now being waged In the federal courts. Mrs. O'Connor, a judge on the Arizona Court of Appeals, was nominated by President Reagan today to become the first woman on the Supreme Court, following the retirement last week of Justice Potter Stewart. In criminal matters, Mrs. O'Connor, 51, generally has ruled against defendants' claims, deferring to the rulings of trial court judges. An analysis of 14 of her opinions shows no cases Involving any of the major issues that are bound to come up during her Senate confirmation hearings: abortion, women's rights, homosexual rights and the rights of the accused. - That may be explained in part by the fact that the highest courts in many states tend to hear the most important disputes, while the simpler disputes are relegated to lower-level appeals courts. The Arizona Court of Appeals is the lower-level appellate court in that state. "The power of a court to render a valid judgment is limited by the nature of the suit, and the issues raised in the pleadings. If the court's judgment exceeds those limits, it is void," Judge O'Connor wrote in May 1980 overturning a trial court money award In a dispute ov~r support payments in a divorce. Of the 14 opinions reviewed, only two appeared to break new ground. In one the court in September 1980 struck down as unconstitutional

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