The Notorious R.B.G: A Champion for Women’s Rights
Photo: Geoff Livingston Flickr
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you”
On Sept. 18th, the loss of an American icon, trailblazer, and advocate shook the nation and beyond. Ruth Bader Ginsburg served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 27 years, appearing in court from her hospital bed while she battled cancer, working to provide justice in her final moments. Ginsburg has earned a reputation as one of the hardest working and fiercest justices on the bench, advocating for those of all walks of life, especially women and other minority groups. Despite her passing, her legacy and story will continue to be shared to inspire others to make as big of a difference in the world as she has over the course of her life.
Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933, Ginsburg was born into a traditional Jewish family as the daughter of an Ukranian-born father and American-born mother. She faced several hardships at a young age, losing her older sister to Meningitis at the age of 2, and losing her mother before her high school graduation after a long battle with cancer. Despite these hardships, Ginsburg persevered and received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. After graduation, she married her college sweetheart, Martin Ginsburg, and gave birth to her daughter in 1955.
Photos: Dane Carlson Flickr, Columbia Law School Communications Flickr
Eager to get back to work, Ginsburg enrolled in Harvard Law school in 1956 as one of only nine girls in the entire school. She and her fellow female classmates received backlash from university faculty and peers for their status as law students. One of their professors famously asked Ruth and her classmates, “Why are you at Harvard Law School, taking the place of a man?” This comment became the first of many comments questioning women’s rights and abilities that she fought against as a lawyer and Supreme Court Justice over the years. Ginsburg later transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated first in her class.
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception”
Despite her shining academic achievements, Ginsburg struggled to find a job post-graduation due to society’s negative view of Jewish Americans and women in law at the time. With little luck convincing law firms to give her a shot, Ginsburg turned to teaching, starting as a research associate and later associate director at Columbia Law School. She conducted most of her research on International Procedure, leading her to travel to Sweden to gather research for her book. Her time in Sweden sparked her interest in gender equality, leading to a long career in the field.
Photos: New York City Bar Association Flickr, Penn President Dr. Amy Gutmann Flickr, aclu Flickr
In 1972, she worked with the American Civil Liberties Union to start the Women’s Rights Project and became the project’s general counsel. In the first two years of the project, the ACLU participated in over 300 gender discrimination cases. Ginsburg argued 6 of these cases in front of the Supreme Court and won 5 of the 6 cases. During her career as an attorney, Ginsburg was a fiery advocate for the rights of women, winning cases that protected pregnant women in the workplace, protected reproductive rights, fought for women to serve on juries, and many more gender equity cases. However, she also fought tirelessly for the equity of all genders, sexualities, and backgrounds, advocating for male widowers to receive social security, demonstrating her passion for the betterment and rights of all types of people. Her incredible career as an academic and as a passionate lawyer gave her a glowing reputation, catching the eye of important academics, politicians, and legal leaders around the country.
“Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life. Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true”
On April 14, 1980, Ginsburg was appointed to the D.C. District Circut Court of Appeals by President Jimmy Carter, springboarding her career as a judge. During this time, her work made her known as an amenable judge willing to work with people of differing viewpoints. Following the death of Justice Byron White in 1993, Ginsburg was recommended to President Bill Clinton and was nominated and sworn into the U.S. Supreme Court shortly after. Her nomination was historic for many reasons, including being the second female and first Jewish female to ever sit on the highest court.
Once she became an official part of the court, her historic rulings and dissents quickly made her presence known by her colleagues and the American people. As a long-time lawyer and advocate for gender equity before being appointed to the bench, Ginsburg continued to advocate for this cause once appointed. United States vs. Virginia, her landmark decision she authored in 1996, stated the Virginia Military Institute could not deny women, giving women more opportunity to have careers in the U.S. military. Cases such as Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt played a crucial role in protecting reproductive health care and equal pay for women, both cases where Ginsburg played a sizable role. In addition to her women’s rights rulings, she also played a significant role in cases deciding on the status of gay marriage, healthcare, immigration, elections, discrimination, and more. In 2013, her famous line “I dissent” came from her fierce opposition to a key portion of the Voting Rights Act. After this ruling, she was given the nickname the “Notorious R.B.G” and made her a cultural icon.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s story should set the example that through hardship and failure, it is more than possible to achieve your goals. As she has paved the way for the rights of all people, we must carry on her legacy and continue to strive to improve our global community and the lives of others.
“I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability.”
Vocabulary List:
Trailblazer (n): an innovator, a leader
Fiercest (adj.): strong and powerful
hardships (n): obstacles, a condition that causes difficulty
backlash (n): a strong negative reaction to something
Springboard (n): to advance to the next level
Amenable (adj.): willing to accept or be influenced by a suggestion
Bench (n): a phrase used to refer to the court where a judge serves
Sizable (adj.): large
Paved (v): to smooth; make it easier to achieve an opportunity
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailey Womer is a third-year student at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York pursuing a dual major in Public Relations and Political Science. With interests in communications, public diplomacy, and politics & government, she hopes to use communication to grow the passions of the public and advocate for others. In her free time, you can find her editing social media content, engrossed in the fashion trends of the season, catching up on the latest political buzz, or on a philanthropic mission to make the world just a little bit brighter!