“Someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has,” said Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Justice Ginsburg devoted 27 years to serve as the second female on the Supreme Court, casting key votes on cases dealing with a variety of topics from gender discrimination to same-sex marriage. She was a living feminist icon and helped evolve the fight for women’s rights into the next decade and beyond.
Before joining the bench, Ginsburg made her mark in the American Civil Liberties Union, as she wrote the plaintiff’s brief in Reed v. Reed. It was a revolutionary case in the Supreme Court that established that the Equal Protection of the 14th Amendment could be applied to defy gender discrimination in 1971. Through this case, discriminatory laws were passed and a highlight of Ginsburg’s career as worked to gain equality for American women.
“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception,” said Ginsburg.
She composed a treatise on Swedish civil law between 1963 and 1970, which still a prominent source of work in their government. In October 1993 Ginsburg took her junior justice seat at the far end of the Supreme Court, as she presented six cases to the court from 1963 to 1978, winning five cases.
Additionally, Ginsburg was hired as the first director of the Women’s Rights Project by the ACLU in 1972. The ACLU project catapulted her career in Supreme Court prosecution to influence her actions for justice in gender discrimination and other constitutional elements. Likewise, when Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired in January 2006, Justice Ginsburg stood her territory as the only woman in the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg was a constant progressive voice on matters in the court addressing abortion and voting rights. As a Supreme Court judge made a mark on the historical case, The United States v. Virginia. The case entailed the male-only admission policy at the Virginia Military Institute, opening the door for women to study the institution. Other cases like Gonzales V. Carhart, which upheld a ban on “partial-birth” abortion.
Early in her career as Justice Ginsburg, she endured discrimination in legal occupation and fought for ideals of equality on the court. Even though Ginsburg was five feet tall with a fragile appearance, she was tough and continued with government work during her battle of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
In the Trump era, RBG has grown as a cultural icon as young progressives look to her for inspiration. Memorabilia reading “I dissent” on t-shirts became popular, seeming to reference a universal perspective toward the direction of the country. Images of Ginsburg are embellished on mugs, posters and necklace charms.
On the big screen, her rise was seen in the 2018 film, “On the Basis of Sex,” and the documentary about her life, “RGB,” became an instant hit in the theater and it was eventually nominated for an Oscar. Ginsburg proved to be a force to be reckoned with.
Not only did she become an icon for being a member of the Supreme Court, but the legal minded she used to better the lives around the globe. Ginsburg stood as a symbol of a better future for many American women and to help others flourish, as she did as a role model for generations to come.
“Women will have achieved true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation,” said Ginsburg.
From her work at ACLU to the Supreme Court, she fought to the end for the rights of everyone. For more than a quarter-century, Ginsburg ruled as an iconic giant of not only American law, but American life.
“Justices continue to think and can change. I am ever hopeful that if the court has a blind spot today, its eyes will be open tomorrow,” said Justice Ginsburg.