My hope is that 10 years from now, after I’ve been across the street at work for a while, they’ll all be glad they gave me that wonderful vote.

O’Connor frames her confirmation not as a symbolic milestone but as a job to be proven over time. The phrase “across the street at work” evokes the physical move from the Senate/Capitol to the Supreme Court and emphasizes diligence, professionalism, and results rather than rhetoric. By projecting “10 years from now,” she asks to be judged by a long record of decisions and conduct, implicitly acknowledging that her nomination drew intense public attention and political scrutiny. The “wonderful vote” suggests gratitude while also underscoring that legitimacy for a justice ultimately rests on sustained performance and public confidence, not on the drama of appointment.