Sandra Day O'Connor's Role in Bush's 2000 Election Victory Revealed in New Documents.
Newly released documents reveal that Justice Sandra Day O'Connor played a crucial role in ensuring George W. Bush's victory over Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election. Memos found in the late Justice John Paul Stevens' files show how O'Connor partnered with Justice Anthony Kennedy to steer the outcome in Bush's favor, effectively squeezing out an argument advanced by then-Chief Justice William Rehnquist. The decision has endured as one of the greatest threats to the court's impartiality and institutional stature.