Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor was her feisty self during a whirlwind book tour last week, launching her latest: "Out of Order: Stories from the History of the Supreme Court." It’s a breezy, digestible history of the court, its personalities and traditions, sprinkled here and there with anecdotes from her own 25-year tenure.
But her interviewers often ignored the book, instead pressing her on the current court or how her life experiences affected her judging. On NPR’s "Fresh Air," O’Connor bristled when Terry Gross described O’Connor as the "swing vote." O’Connor snapped, "I don’t like that term. I never did, and it’s not one that I like any better today." Gross’ fans took to Facebook to complain that O’Connor was "hostile and rude," as one put it. Said another, "I will not be buying her book!"
