Rachel Laser, president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, issued the following statement in response to the death of former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor:
“Americans United today joins the millions of Americans who are mourning the death of former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
“Justice O’Connor was a trailblazer as the first woman to sit on the high court. And while her record on church-state separation was mixed overall, she clearly understood the vital role religious freedom plays in America and how separation protects it, and became increasingly supportive of church-state separation during the latter years of her tenure.
“Justice O’Connor put it succinctly in a 2005 decision when she observed: ‘Those who would renegotiate the boundaries between church and state must therefore answer a difficult question: Why would we trade a system that has served us so well for one that has served others so poorly?’
“We could use more of that spirit on the Supreme Court today. Rest in peace, Justice O’Connor.”
Americans United is a religious freedom advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1947, AU educates Americans about the importance of church-state separation in safeguarding religious freedom.
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