Funeral for former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

At a Tuesday funeral service for Sandra Day O'Connor, President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts spoke about her life and work as the first woman to serve as a US Supreme Court Justice.

Here's what you need to know about the funeral at Washington National Cathedral:

Biden hailed Sandra O'Connor's work for empowering women: "Sandra Day O'Connor, the daughter of the American West, was a pioneer in her own right, breaking down the barriers of legal and political worlds and the nation's consciousness," he said. Under great pressure and scrutiny, she helped "empower generations of women," "open doors, secure freedoms, and prove that a woman can not only do anything a man can do," but many times do it "a heck of a lot better," he said, adding she was "gracious and wise, civil and principled."

Roberts said she was so successful in breaking barriers that they seem "unthinkable" today: "Sandra Day O'Connor had to study and launch a career in the law when most men in the established profession did not want women lawyers — let alone judges," he said, adding the measure of her life and work is that "younger people today cannot understand what it was like before Justice O'Connor." Roberts also remembered O'Connor's approach at the court as "simple and direct: Get it done."

Historian says the Supreme Court building was O'Connor's "temple": Evan W. Thomas III described how the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was "the glue" of the Supreme Court, recalling how she encouraged the justices to get to know each other outside of the chamber. Thomas described her dedication to the law, saying she "found her church" in Washington, DC. "Her temple, you might say, was the white marble building on First Street, NE," he said, referring to the Supreme Court building in the city.

O'Connor had stepped down from the court to take care of her husband: She retired in 2006 to care for her husband who was ailing from Alzheimer’s disease. President George W. Bush would go on to nominate Justice Samuel Alito to take her seat.

Jay H. O’Connor, the son of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, called his mother a “force of nature” — but admitted she had been keeping a secret.

“Years ago, while going through my mom's papers, I came across a box containing her report cards for middle school and high school,” he said. “Sandra Day O’Connor once got a B in civics.”

"In the presence of the president, the Supreme Court justices and all of you today, I ask you this: Based on her 40-year dedication to promoting the rule of law and democracy at home and abroad, do you think she's earned enough extra credit to raise that lowly B in civics to an A?" her son asked the crowd, to applause from President Joe Biden and other attendees.

He said “most of all, she loved her family" and was a mom in every aspect — from grocery shopping to taking care of her kids, all with a demanding career. He described her energy and her love of dancing.

"Mom and dad absolutely loved to dance and they were known as the best dancers in Washington. In this city, it was not uncommon for the dance floor to clear the moment they stepped onto it hand in hand," he said, adding that his mom was the first person on the Supreme Court with "technical training in disco dancing."

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts paid tribute to Sandra Day O'Connor's career that broke barriers.

Remarking her achievement as the first female Supreme Court justice, Roberts said:

"Sandra Day O'Connor had to study and launch a career in the law when most men in the established profession did not want women lawyers — let alone judges"

Roberts added that she has to "find her own style to cajole, persuade and unite colleagues when there was no example to follow."

"She had to ignore slights and work to bring people together in social, professional, and political life. She had to demonstrate excellence as the 102nd member of the Supreme Court, all the while setting a model as the first woman on the job," he said.

The measure of her life and work is that "younger people today cannot understand what it was like before Justice O'Connor and what now seems a distant past."

"In nearly a quarter century on the the court, she was a strong, influential and iconic jurist. Her leadership shaped the legal professional, making it obvious that judges are both women and men. The time when women were not on the bench seemed so far away because Justice O'Connor was so good when she was on the bench," Roberts said.

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's approach at the court "was simple and direct: Get it done," current Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in his eulogy Tuesday.

"The way she participated in oral argument at the court is a good example. Justices have many different styles on the bench. Some like the back and forth of debates, others pose unusual hypotheticals, some badger counsel to get concessions. Others spell out a particular theory at length and ask for comment. Now all this is fine and good, Chief Justice Roberts said.

He continued:

"But Justice O'Connor was different. After the advocate had gotten through only a couple sentences, the justice would jump in before her colleagues could with a well-prepared question. The question was clear, direct, even enunciated carefully. It went to the heart of the lawyer's case with no fluff. Her approach was: let's get what's most important to me on the table at the outset. Get it done."

Roberts also recalled her asking him before he was confirmed to be the Supreme Court chief justice to hire her law clerks "or they won't have jobs" since she was about to retire. "She saw a problem for the clerks and a solution. She wanted to get it done."

Evan W. Thomas III, a historian and author, described how the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was "the glue" of the Supreme Court, recalling how she encouraged the justices to get to know each other outside of the chamber.

"At the court's weekly lunches, only about half of justices showed up," he said. "So she made it her business to make the justices come to lunch — not to talk about cases or argue over the law, but to get to know each other."

"If they didn't go to lunch, she would go to the chambers and just sit there until they did," he added.

Thomas described her dedication to the law, saying she "found her church" in Washington, DC.

"Her temple, you might say, was the white marble building on First Street, NE," he said, referring to the Supreme Court building in the city.

Sandra Day O’Connor empowered generations of women, President Joe Biden said in his eulogy Tuesday.

Under great pressure and scrutiny, she helped "empower generations of women in every part of American life, including the court itself; helping open doors, secure freedoms, and prove that a woman can not only do anything a man can do," but many times do it "a heck of a lot better," he said.

O'Connor also valued the civic life of America, communities, friendships and family, he said.

Addressing her family, Biden said he hoped they hold on to the love she had for them.

"What a gift! I hope that you find comfort in another profound consequence of her service — the countless families that she helped by speaking so openly about your family's experiences. It matters," he said.

President Joe Biden opened his eulogy Tuesday by recounting the 1981 day that the US Senate Judiciary convened for the nomination of Sandra Day O'Connor "to become the first woman in American history to serve as a Supreme Court justice on the United States Supreme Court."

"Announcing her nomination earlier that summer, President Reagan described her as — and I quote —"a person of all seasons." And it was a person for all seasons that we saw at this hearing and the Americans and the world would see through her extraordinary service as a justice, and I might add as a citizen: Gracious and wise, civil and principled," Biden said.

He continued: "Sandra Day O'Connor, the daughter of the American West, was a pioneer in her own right, breaking down the barriers of legal and political worlds and the nation's consciousness."

A funeral service for former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has started at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC.

The funeral comes a day after members of the public had an opportunity to pay their respects in front of the Supreme Court — where O’Connor laid in repose.

It’s traditional for late justices to lie in repose at the Supreme Court.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — the second woman to join the high court — became the first woman to do so following her death in September 2020. The late Justice John Paul Stevens also laid in repose following his death in July 2019.

President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks at the memorial service, the White House said.

CNN's Samantha Waldenberg contributed reporting to this post.

President Joe Biden has arrived at the National Cathedral for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s memorial.

The president is scheduled to deliver remarks memorializing the late justice as part of the memorial service this morning.

Biden is seated next to Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su in the first pew of the cathedral — also seated in his row are Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and her husband David Davighi, US Trade Representative Katherine Tai and her husband Robert Skidmore, and Bruce Reed.