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O'Connor urges 'civility' in wake of Tucson shooting

By Bill Mears, CNN Supreme Court Producer
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Retired justice: "We must not allow these events to further divide our state and our nation"
  • O'Connor praises Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was wounded in the Arizona shooting
  • Ex-justice, an Arizona native, attended memorial service for victims of the Tucson attack
  • O'Connor urges a lowering of the political temperature

Washington (CNN) -- Former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, an Arizona native, is urging "civility and rationale dialogue" in the wake of the Tucson shooting tragedy.

The 80-year-old retired justice attended Wednesday's memorial service for victims of the weekend shooting that left six dead and 13 wounded.

In a newly released statement, O'Connor called for respectful discussion of the shooting's impact on the larger society.

"As we grieve, we must not allow these events to further divide our state and our nation," she said. "We must reject violence and hostility and bring civility and rationale dialogue into our government and our community life. This is a responsibility of every one of us as individuals. Only we -- working together -- can restore reason and civility in our public speech and actions."

She also offered praise for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, the Arizona Democrat who seriously wounded in the attack.

"Congresswoman Giffords is a fine example of a public official who brings these efforts and qualities to her meetings and gatherings. May her health be restored and may we all remember the role each of us plays in restoring civil talk to our public expressions," the former jurist said.

Since her retirement in 2006, O'Connor has been active in a number of projects, including the O'Connor House, a nonprofit organization created to bring "civility into the public conversation." The group is also helping to restore the Phoenix-area adobe-style house O'Connor and her husband, John, bought in 1958.

O'Connor grew up on a remote working cattle ranch in the eastern part of the state before beginning her legal career. She was the first woman on the Supreme Court, serving from 1981-2006.

The Tucson shooting has prompted often heated national debate on the larger social ills surrounding gun violence and possible solutions. Some commentators have lamented the finger-pointing and rhetoric.

O'Connor called for lowering the political temperature.

"Before speaking out, ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions," she said.