The Supreme Court continues its longstanding tradition today by hosting a bar memorial in honor of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who passed away on December 1, 2023. This practice, which goes back to the days of Chief Justice John Marshall, involves a meeting of the Supreme Court’s Bar, followed by a special sitting of the Court.
Such memorials generally begin with tributes from the late justice’s former clerks. For O’Connor, the event will see remarks from Solicitor General D. John Sauer, alongside contributions from Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Richard G. Taranto of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Resolutions recognizing O’Connor’s contributions and life achievements will then be presented to the current justices. In keeping with tradition, these resolutions mark the formal conclusion of the bar meeting.
The event will be available via live stream on the Supreme Court’s website at 1:45 p.m. EDT. Following the bar meeting, a special session will be held at 3 p.m. ED. Acting Solicitor General D. John Sauer and Attorney General Pam Bondi are slated to address the Court during this session.
While live streaming of the courtroom proceedings is not anticipated, if tradition holds, audio recordings, transcripts, and other materials, such as resolutions and a memorial booklet, will be made available online in the future.
Previous bar memorials held in honor of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2023 and Justice John Paul Stevens in 2022 followed similar formats. For instance, Elizabeth Prelogar, a former clerk, commenced Ginsburg’s memorial. Notably, these occasions also combine personal stories with their wider judicial legacy, such as anecdotes shared by Justice Stevens’ granddaughter, Hannah Mullen, about his character both on and off the bench.