In Memory of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By: The Full Disclosure Team - Aditi Ambravan, Jesenia Parthasarathy, and Mia Korsunsky.

This weekend, we mourned the loss of the trailblazer of women’s rights, an advocate for justice, and a figure who had broken numerous stereotypes over the years. The legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (commonly known as RBG) will never be forgotten.

Born in New York, in 1933, Ruth Bader Ginsburg faced many hardships throughout her adolescence. Her mother is largely credited for instilling a love of education in Ginsburg from a young age. She was diligent and worked hard to finish high school and graduate from Cornell University. Putting those passions on hold, Ginsburg took the time to start a family, eventually enrolling in Harvard Law School after her husband returned from his military service. Despite the plethora of barriers she faced as a young woman, gender-based discrimination, motherhood, and caring for her husband who had been diagnosed with testicular cancer during her first year of law school, Ginsburg was at the top of her class. She was one of only 9 women at Harvard Law yet refused to let the onslaught of gender discrimination stop her. Once she learned that some classmates had unflatteringly nicknamed her “b*tch,” Ginsburg replied, “Better ‘b*tch’ than ‘mouse.’” Her undying faith in standing up for her beliefs, even when she might have come off as too assertive for the men she worked with, remained as a testament of her choice to become the quiet “mouse” who fears to speak and be the cause of change.

"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made." - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

In her last year of law school, she moved to New York and transferred to Columbia Law School where she graduated first in her class. After graduating, despite her academic excellence, RBG was continuously discriminated against in the workforce and struggled to find a job as a woman in such a male-dominated career. She eventually landed a job clerking for the U.S. District Judge Edmund L. Palmieri, after which she taught at Rutgers University Law School (1963-72) and at Columbia (1972-80), where she became the school’s first female tenured professor. Also during the 1970s, she also served as the director of the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, where she argued six landmark cases on gender equality before her time as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

From being on the side of issues including abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, RBG’s votes have changed the lives of many across America, not only allowing them to proceed in marriage but to also become accepted and recognized as a viable pair. Obergefell v. Hodges was a monumental decision in American history - expanding the right of same-sex marriage to every single American. RBG proudly voted in favor, exclaiming, “Marriage was a relationship of a dominant male to a subordinate female that ended as a result of this court’s decision in 1982 when Louisiana’s Head and Master Rule was struck down. Would that be a choice that states should [still] be allowed to have? To cling to marriage the way it once was?" Here, she demonstrated the knowledge and understanding that the intentions of the Constitution can change as society progresses and becomes more accepting. In her decision that tipped the scales for the entire LGBTQ+ community, she brought rights to a group of people who had been discriminated against for decades.

On the other hand, her label as the “notorious RBG” developed due to her inflammatory dissents to majority opinion. She has been known to stick to the Constitution and though she has been considered as one of the most “liberal” justices, her opinions were only reflective of what she believed was constitutional. In the case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, she voted against Ledbetter in the dissenting opinion, despite it being a case of gender discrimination in pay, RBG recognized the untimeliness of Ledbetter’s lawsuit and decided to rule against her. Despite her personal views, RBG refused to dispute the constitutionality of a situation.

Ginsburg had long been publicly fighting a battle with pancreatic cancer, but as an unstoppable force, she worked tirelessly to make change for Americans no matter her personal struggles. At times, she even conducted her jurist duties from hospital beds when she was ill. When news spread of Ginsburg’s passing, on the evening of September 18th, 2020, the world was devastated. RBG had been the second woman to serve on the Supreme court, and the first person of Jewish descent, a beacon of representation and a staple of the American political climate, Ginsburg’s influence was widespread. Across America, people voiced their condolences and personal statements. Ginsburg had passed on the start of Jewish New Year, which hit harder for those who had finally gotten the chance to see themselves represented in American politics through her. Influential figures and American celebrities nationwide voiced their sorrows, like former President Barack Obama who wrote “... Justice Ginsburg inspired the generations who followed her, from the tiniest trick-or-treaters to law students burning the midnight oil to the most powerful leaders in the land. We’re profoundly thankful for the legacy she left this country, and we offer our gratitude and our condolences to her children and grandchildren tonight.” On Facebook, a private group named #Take2TheStreet4RBG had gained more than 46,000 followers by Sunday afternoon. Thousands gathered at the Supreme Court to pay their respects where they left flowers, messages, candles, and other memorabilia in front of the Supreme Court building to thank Ginsburg for her decades of service. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state in the United States Capitol on Friday, an unusual honor for a Supreme Court justice and one that has never before been granted to a woman.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought until the very end, to uphold the ideal and fundamentals of our American democracy. Whether one was to agree with all the decisions RBG has made as a Supreme Court Justice, she has undoubtedly altered the laws and views that are popularly carried in our country. We will continue to feel the effects of her decisions while she has lived, long after her passing. No matter what, whether in the form of her contributions to societal changes or just her iconic workout “Super Diva!” t-shirt. Even after her passing, Ginsburg’s legacy lives on in infamy as we remember “The Notorious RBG”.

Bibliography:

1. Medium. 2020. My Statement On The Passing Of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. [online] Available at: <https://obama.medium.com/my-statement-on-the-passing-of-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-5a925b627457>

2. History.com. 2020. [online] Available at: <https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/ruth-bader-ginsburg>

3. Addario, Photograph by Lynsey. “See How Americans Are Mourning Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Nation's Capital.” See How Americans Are Mourning Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Washington, D.C., 21 Sept. 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/09/americans-mourn-ruth-bader-ginsburg-celebrate-legacy/.

4. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg." Oyez, www.oyez.org/justices/ruth_bader_ginsburg.