Written by Victoria Arutunian, Adella Baker, and Daniella Sierra
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman, and first Jewish person, to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. She was appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. She earned the nickname “The Great Dissenter” because she would write impressive dissents and arguments for the sides that she felt were important.
The well-known justice was born as Joan Ruth Bader on March 15th, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York. The year she was born was the height of the great depression, where her father was a furrier and her mother worked in a garment factory. Her mother is the one who instilled her love for education by giving up her own to afford her brother’s college expenses. Her mother heavily influenced her early life where she excelled at St James Madison high school. Her mother was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer and died the day before Ginsburg’s graduation.
Her success in academia continued after she got accepted to Cornell University, where she graduated at the top of her class in 1954. She later met her husband Martin and that's when she changed her name from Ruth Bader to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After graduating from Cornell she put her education on hold to start a family. Her first child was born in 1955, and shortly after her husband was drafted for two years of military service. After his return, she enrolled at Harvard Law School. During her years in law school, she faced many challenges, one of them being her husband being diagnosed with testicular cancer. Ginsburg managed to take care of her husband, keep him up to date on his studies, and focus on her own education all while caring for their child.
As a supreme court justice, she worked steadily to combat everyday discrimination and violations of women’s rights. She cast votes in support of an American’s ability to get an abortion, same-sex marriage, and fought for the rights of workers. She was also a strong voice in calling for the separation of church and state.
Even before reaching the pinnacle of her profession by becoming a justice, RBG had a profound impact on American life. During her years as a professor at Columbia, she joined the general counsel of the ACLU & directed the Women’s Rights Project. Ginsburg and others working on the project won a string of landmark cases before the supreme court, forcing the country to take a broader look at gender discrimination as they fought not only for women who were left behind but men as well. Her time at the ACLU fighting against gender discrimination brought her national attention.
In addition to being a legal legacy, she was cherished by those she worked alongside and was constantly described as the embodiment of integrity, commitment, and compassion. In recent statements when asked about Ruth’s death, Justice Elena Kagan highlighted her generosity and sly wit, while Justice Neil Gorsuch recalled memories of her sweet tooth during lunch and her valiant effort to teach him her favorite operas. All current supreme court justices say that they will hold her memory and lessons they learned from her close to their heart for the rest of their lives.
Sources
Comments