When former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, LLB ’52 (BA ’50), passed away in December, the world seemed to stop for a moment, with admirers from both sides of the political aisle honoring her memory and the impact she had on American jurisprudence. For the Stanford community, it was a chance to celebrate her many professional accomplishments and also to reflect on her path from ranch life in rural Arizona to Stanford, where she was one of the few women to study law in 1950. She thrived, joining the Stanford Law Review and navigating a legal career in a male-dominated profession. She was by all measures a worthy “first” at our highest court. Justice O’Connor was known for being a “swing” vote on the Court, but she did what every justice should do: listen and consider before formulating a judgment.

In this issue’s profile of Justice O’Connor, Professor Jeffrey Fisher sums up her impact: “Today, justices are often chosen for their methodological purity. Justice O’Connor didn’t buy into any of that. She had a full life and a full view of our democratic institutions and was much more interested in working out the pragmatics of a problem. We’ve been losing those kinds of people and that’s one reason the Court is a little more sharply divided.”

Justice O’Connor, through her actions and words, reminds us of the value of putting aside preconceived notions and listening to and learning from others. The profile also includes terrific anecdotes from former clerks about her passion for life. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Two other featured alumni, Sam Sasan Shoamanesh, JSM ’12, and Carol Lombardini, JD ’79, also understand the importance of listening well. Sam, the former Chef de Cabinet to the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, has been at the forefront of international law for decades—helping to navigate some of the world’s most complex criminal cases. His interview with Gulika Reddy, assistant professor and director of our International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic, is a tutorial in international criminal law. And, as president of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, Carol has built a career on finding common ground. Her expertise was on display last year when she negotiated with Hollywood’s striking stars and writers on behalf of entertainment giants including Disney, Amazon, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, and Netflix.

Essential to the search for common ground are data, research, and policy analysis. The Stanford Law and Policy Lab develops and deploys expertise in these skills—with students and faculty joining forces with colleagues across campus to tackle some of the most vexing policy questions. Since its launch 10 years ago, the Policy Lab has undertaken some 200 practicums for an interdisciplinary, think tank-like experience of researching and analyzing real-world policy issues for real-world clients. The article on the lab offers just a sampling of the incredible work being done here.

And there’s more, from the “Remembrance” of Robert “Bob” Piestewa Ames, JD ’54 (BA ’51), the first Native American Stanford Law School graduate and former chief judge of the Hopi Tribal Trial Court, to articles on faculty books—Jennifer Chacón’s Legal Phantoms, Rob MacCoun’s Third Millennium Thinking, and George Fisher’s Beware Euphoria—to a critical assessment of the Brown decision by Professor Rick Banks. I hope you’ll read on. SL