O'Connor May Decide Election

That one justice's name is Sandra Day O'Connor.

A Reagan appointee, O'Connor, more than any other justice, has been a swing vote on the court for almost two decades.

O'Connor voted with the majority this weekend, allowing for a 5-4 vote in favor of Justice Scalia's stay order stopping the manual recount.

While O'Connor may have supported the stay, sources familiar with the court say she will come to an independent decision after hearing arguments.

A source close to Justice Breyer tells NewsMax.com that on the court, "O'Connor is regarded as very independent and very non-partisan. She will do what she thinks is right in terms of the law, regardless of the implications to the Republican Party."

Legal experts tell NewsMax.com that both lawyers for Gore and Bush are honing their arguments and will aim to persuade O'Connor.

At the same time, court observers will listen carefully to O'Connor's questions and comments made during oral arguments hoping to gain some indication of how she may decide.

Gore's legal team Sunday made an abrupt change and dropped Harvard Professor Laurence Tribe.

The abrasive Tribe had lost in Gore's last round before the court, and Gore has opted for the more smooth David Boies to make his case before the High Court.

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