Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to sit on the US Supreme Court, has died aged 93.
She died on Friday morning in Phoenix, Arizona due to complications related to dementia and a respiratory illness, a statement by the US Supreme Court said.
Previously a groundbreaking state politician, Justice O'Connor was appointed to America's highest court by former president Ronald Reagan in 1981.
She served as justice for more than 24 years until her retirement in 2006.
A moderate conservative, she left the bench to care for her husband, John Jay O'Connor, who was battling Alzheimer's disease. President George W Bush appointed Justice Samuel Alito as her replacement.
In a statement, Chief US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts called Justice O'Connor "a daughter of the American Southwest" who "blazed a historic trail as our Nation's first female Justice."
"She met that challenge with undaunted determination, indisputable ability, and engaging candor," Justice Roberts said. He added that she was a "fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education."
Justice O'Connor is survived by three sons and six grandchildren. Her husband died in 2009.
