The Latest: O'Connor says she likely has Alzheimer's

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (all times local):

10:30 a.m.

Chief Justice John Roberts says he is "saddened to learn" that Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, has the beginning stages of dementia.

Roberts said in a statement Tuesday that although O'Connor has announced she is withdrawing from public life, "no illness or condition can take away the inspiration she provides for those who will follow the many paths she has blazed."

O'Connor said in a letter Tuesday that she has the beginning stages of dementia, "probably Alzheimer's disease." The 88-year-old took her seat on the Supreme Court in 1981 and retired in 2006.

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10:12 a.m.

Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the Supreme Court, says she has the beginning stages of dementia and "probably Alzheimer's disease."

O'Connor made the announcement in a letter Tuesday. She said that her diagnosis was made "some time ago" and that as her condition has progressed she is "no longer able to participate in public life."

O'Connor, 88, was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and took her seat on the court in 1981. She announced her retirement in 2005.

O'Connor's announcement came a day after a story by The Associated Press that she had stepped back from public life.