During her 25 years on the Supreme Court, Sandra O’Connor was the critical swing vote on cases involving some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues, including race, gender and reproductive rights — and she was the tiebreaker on Bush v. Gore. Forty-two years after her confirmation, Sandra Day O’Connor: The First recounts the life of a pioneering woman who both reflected and shaped an era.

For 191 years, the U.S. Supreme Court was populated only by men. When President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female justice in 1981, the announcement dominated the news. Time Magazine’s cover proclaimed, “Justice At Last,” and she received unanimous Senate approval. During her more than two decades on the Supreme Court, O’Connor was the critical swing vote on cases involving some of the 20th century’s most controversial issues, including race, gender and reproductive rights—and she cast the decisive vote in Bush v. Gore. Based on First: Sandra Day O’Connor by Evan Thomas, this biographical film is written and directed by Michelle Ferrari and executive produced by Cameo George.

The documentary is streaming on PBS.org and the PBS app throughout December.

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