Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer accepts 2026 O’Connor Justice Prize: “I can’t think of anything I’d rather have”

Stephen Breyer, who served on the U.S. Supreme Court from 1994 to 2022, was named the 11th annual O’Connor Justice Prize recipient and accepted the award Jan. 16 at a signature event in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosted by the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University.

Selected annually by an advisory board led by Ambassador Barbara Barrett and the Honorable Ruth McGregor, the award recognizes individuals who carry forward Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s legacy of service. Breyer’s honor comes during the nation’s 250th anniversary year, a timely reminder of the rule of law’s central place in American democracy.

“I can’t think of anything I’d rather have,” said Breyer as he accepted the award. 

Across decades of public service, Breyer has worked as a scholar, jurist, author and civic leader. He clerked for Justice Arthur Goldberg, taught at Harvard Law School and later became chief counsel to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. On the U.S. Sentencing Commission, he helped develop the federal sentencing guidelines. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter, who received the O’Connor Justice Prize in 2017, appointed Breyer to the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, where he later served as chief judge. 

Nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by a bipartisan Senate vote in 1994, Breyer became known for his pragmatic approach and his judicial philosophy of “active liberty.” He authored influential opinions, including Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt and Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., and wrote notable dissents in Bush v. Gore and Citizens United v. FEC.

Since retiring from the court in 2022, Breyer has returned to teaching at Harvard Law School and continues to shape civic discourse through his writing and lectures. His recent works include Reading the Constitution: Why I Chose Pragmatism, Not Textualism (2024) and “Pragmatism or Textualism” (Harvard Law Review, 2025).

“The O’Connor Justice Prize reflects the key values that carry us forward as a profession. Legal excellence, faith in the rule of law as a stabilizing force and servant leadership,” said ASU Law Willard H. Pedrick Dean and OJP Advisory Board Member Stacy Leeds to the crowd. “Justice Breyer, your career exemplifies these ideals, and it is particularly meaningful for us to celebrate you, both because of your personal friendship with Justice O’Connor and now as a collaborator with us, in honoring her legacy.”

During a Q&A led by OJP advisory board member and former Chief Justice of the Arizona Supreme Court Scott Bales, Breyer spoke about his experience serving alongside Justice O’Connor, pragmatism, the current state of affairs and the rule of law. 

“We’ve had ups and downs. We’ve had slavery. We’ve had a civil war. We’ve had reconstruction. We’ve had everything under the sun. But we are still together. And that to me is what is of importance,” Breyer said.

“I was born in 1938, so I can remember World War II. What I think is the most amazing thing about our 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, is that we’re still here. There are still 340 million people [in the U.S.]. Every race, every religion, every point of view, every national origin.”

Breyer served alongside O’Connor for nearly 12 years, from his 1994 appointment until her 2006 retirement. Beyond their work in Washington, D.C., the two traveled internationally to promote judicial independence and the rule of law, efforts that reflected O’Connor’s longtime belief that strong courts and civic education are essential to a stable democracy.

“Your reflections — on judging, on democracy and on your shared experiences with Justice O’Connor — help us translate her work and impact to the next generation while simultaneously allowing us the opportunity to thank you and celebrate you. It’s exactly why this evening matters so much, to each of us personally and for our institution,” Leeds said.

The O’Connor Justice Prize was established in 2014 to reward extraordinary people working to advance justice and uphold human rights worldwide. Past recipients include U.S. President Jimmy Carter, South African President FW De Klerk and last year’s winner, former Liberia President and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.