She’s a champion of law, perseverance, dissents, opinions, and of course, breaking down gender barriers left and right. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has left an irreplaceable mark on our country, its justice system, and the hearts of so many young people (especially young girls). Her strength, scholarship, and hard work will never be forgotten.
Here’s why RBG should be every girl’s role model:
She was one of nine women (in a class of 500 men) to attend Harvard Law School
Despite rampant sexism from Harvard Law’s Dean who questioned why the nine women were taking the places of qualified male lawyers, RBG balanced motherhood with being a law student and eventually worked her way to becoming a member of The Harvard Law Review. She would go on to attend Columbia law school, and would be the first person elected to both The Harvard Law Review and The Columbia Law Review.
She balanced her law school work, her husband’s law school work, and taking care of her daughter.
In 1956, RBG’s husband, Martin Ginsburg, fell ill with testicular cancer. In order to prevent Martin from falling behind in his law studies, Justice Ginsburg attended his classes, and took notes for him, all while focusing on her own studies and caring for their daughter, Jane.
Breaking the glass ceiling in her time as a law professor
From 1963-1972, RBG was a law professor at Rutgers University’s Law School where she served as the first ever faculty adviser to the Women’s Rights Law Reporter. From 1972- 1980, she was the first female tenured professor at Columbia Law School.
Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue
This was RBG’s very first sex discrimintion case. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, “It was the first time a provision of the Internal Revenue Code had been declared unconstitutional.”
A pioneer in the legal framework of Women’s Rights
RBG co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She argued six landmark cases in front of the Supreme Court, as she established a foundation for gender and sex-discrimination cases. By 1974, the ACLU and Women’s Right Project had taken part in 300+ sex discrimination cases.
The Supreme Court and her fiery dissents
After sitting in the U.S. Court of Appeals, President Bill Clinton nominated RBG to The Supreme Court in 1993, making her the second woman justice. She will therefore forever be known for her powerful opinions and dissents on the Supreme Court. She was adamant about the fact that, “When a justice is of the firm view that the majority got it wrong, she is free to say so in dissent. I take advantage of that prerogative, when I think it is important, as do my colleagues”. Take a look at some of the most important cases she presided over on the bench of The Supreme Court: here.
LGBTQ+ Rights
RBG has always been a staunch support of LGBTQ+ rights in her time on the bench. She has worked to overturn discriminatory laws and she was even the first Supreme Court Justice to officiate a same-sex wedding. In 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges, RBG delivered power oral arguments.
The strides she has taken to improve every day life
During her time in the legal and justice systems, RBG has made remarkable achievements for gender-equality—laws and precedents that today’s generation may take for granted. She fought for men and women to have equal choice in estate conflicts, equal spousal benefits for those in military, social security benefits for widowers, equal drinking age for men and women in Oklahoma, and even made it easier for women to serve on juries. In the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, enacted protections against pay discrimination. The list of her accomplishments could go on and on.
Although she stood at a mere five-feet, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a giant in every sense of the word. Her incredible life story and impactful leadership in the legal system will forever leave a mark on our country and the hearts of millions. Our country is a better place because of her, but we cannot let her legacy fade away. We have to vote, organize, and carry on her opinions, dissents, and fierce determination, in hopes of a better tomorrow. I encourage you to read more about her work and appreciate the handprint that she has left on the face of our democracy.
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”-Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg