It was not a surprise that 75-year-old Sandra Day O’Connor chose to step down from the U.S. Supreme Court.

But it was a mild shock that she would be the first justice President Bush will replace &045; and that appointment will certainly garner much attention in the days and months to come.

As a key vote on dozens of issues over the two and a half decades she has served, O’Connor has sided with both the left and the right, seeming to weigh her decisions based on law and reason rather pure ideology.

The court &045; and the nation &045; will miss that wisdom.

Court-watchers had expected conservative Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who has been battling cancer, to step down first. His replacement would be an easier switch, ideologically.

O’Connor was appointed by President Reagan, but her decisions did not always match those of the conservative members of the court.

In fact, her decisions often seemed to mirror those of the American people, hitting the middle ground. She believed in states’ rights, approved of some affirmative action programs and upheld the abortion rights, with limits.

President Bush’s choice to take O’Connor’s seat on the court will be under an even greater microscope than the first female justice. That person’s views, background, family life, education and writings will be picked apart &045; and not too carefully. Even before the ink had dried on O’Connor’s resignation letter, special interest groups on both sides had released advertisements about the upcoming nomination process.

We do not envy the nominee. Though the majority of us likely find ourselves in O’Connor’s middle ground, ideologues on both the right and the left play a dangerous and often destructive brand of politics.

But the process of nominating and approving a Supreme Court justice deserves much greater dignity and honor than those displays of partisanship allow. After deeply divided confirmation processes for lower court judges during the current and previous presidents’ terms, we can only hope senators will be more fair as they look to replace a justice for the highest court in the land.

But for now, it’s time simply to honor O’Connor’s long service to the court and to our nation.

She will be missed, not only for her work on the court but for her professionalism and her graciousness. She made history when she came to the court because of who she was, and makes history as she leaves because of what she has done.