FEATURE STORY Remembering Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Bill Clinton and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

If you were asked to identify some of our nation’s serious issues, what would your answer be? Well, besides the affordability of healthcare, the majority of citizens of the United States of America will agree that one of the issues that is often unaddressed, apart from healthcare reforms, is systemic racism. Not just the people of this country, but even civil rights leaders and attorneys have been fighting for racial justice for minorities. One such civil rights lawyer, who had devoted her legal career to the pursuit of eliminating discrimination, was Ruth Bader Ginsburg. With less than seven weeks before the election day, the sudden demise of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has left lawmakers and the citizens of this country to question the future of the court. Her death is definitely one of the biggest developments yet to come in 2020.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born as Joan Ruth Bader on March 15th, 1933. She was the second daughter of Nathan and Cecelia Bader. She grew up in a low-income, working class neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. One person who had a major influence on Ruth’s life was her beloved mother, Cecelia. She taught her daughter the importance of education and also the value of independence. However, due to some financial problems, Cecelia couldn’t afford to attend a college. Instead, she worked hard to help pay for her brother’s education. Upon learning of her mother’s struggles to make ends meet, Ruth was very much inspired by her mother’s act of selflessness and decided to dedicate her life towards education. At James Madison High School in Brooklyn, Ruth Bader Ginsburg excelled in her academics.

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg

A day before her high school graduation, her mother, Cecelia, died from cancer. Although her mother left her too soon, this did not stop Ruth from finishing her education. On June 23rd, 1954, she graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts in Government. In the same year, Ruth married Martin D. Ginsburg, who was also a law student from Cornell University. A few months into their marriage. Ruth had her first child, Jane. She had to look after her daughter all by herself because her husband, Martin, was selected into the military. After serving for two years in the military, Both Martin and Ruth decided to move to Harvard.

At Harvard, Ruth decided to pursue law. She encountered male dominance with only eight females in her class of 500 students. Despite all the challenges, Ruth excelled in academics and became the first woman member of the renowned legal journal, the Harvard Law Review. Ruth had successfully learned to balance life as a mother and a

law student. During Martin’s final year at Harvard, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Throughout his treatment, Ruth stayed by her husband’s side and organized his notes and typed his final paper, while at the same time dealing with her own coursework and taking care of her three-year-old daughter. Amidst all the personal setbacks and with Ruth’s help, Martin recovered from cancer, and moved to New York city to accept a position at a law firm. However, Ruth had to finish one more year of law school, so she transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated with flying colors in the year 1959.

Despite of her exceptional academic performance, Ruth continued to face discrimination on the basis of gender. After encountering many obstacles, she found a job as a clerk. Ruth worked for two years as a clerk under U.S. District Judge Edmund L. Palmieri. After working for two years, she decided to join Columbia Project on International Civil Procedure. In 1963, she secured a job as a professor at the renowned Rutgers University Law School. Then in the year 1972, she joined Columbia University as a teacher, and became the first female to secure a permanent post as a professor. She dedicated her time to focus on issues related to sex discrimination. During the 1970s, she was the director of the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. While serving as the director, she worked on six notable cases on gender equality before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia by President Jimmy Carter in the year 1980. After serving for thirteen years, In 1993, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She became the first ever Jewish female justice of the Supreme Court, and eventually became the longest-serving member. As the Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth fought against racial discrimination, for both men and women.

One of Ruth’s biggest landmark cases was the United States v. Virginia. Her widely known Supreme Court opinion opened the doors of the Virginia Military Institution to women. Another notable case is the Olmstead v. L.C.; the Supreme Court’s ruling in this case favored people with disabilities.

This Supreme Court Justice also supported gay marriages and fought for women’s reproductive freedom in several cases.

Although Ruth Bader Ginsburg has indeed left us too soon, she will be remembered for her resilience and determination. Ruth dedicated her whole life towards fightingforwomen’sequalrights.This paved the way for women to take up high professional jobs in government, business, and the military. There are many books written about her life and career. In the year 2018, a featurefilmaboutherearlylifenamed On the Basis of Sex was released. Shortly after Ruth Bader Ginsburg died after a long battle from metastatic pancreatic cancer, thousands of people gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court to pay tribute to this legendary woman.