There is no question that the late Ruth Bader Ginsberg changed the course of history for women and created a place for women in a society that don’t tend to us as second class citizens but rather productive members of society. With her recent passing on September 18, we’re taking a look back at her personal accomplishments as well as what she was able to accomplish for men and women alike.
- RBG Graduated First From Her Class At Columbia Law School And Made It On Both The Columbia Law State and Harvard Law Reviews
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In 1956, Ginsburg was one of only nine women in a class of about 500 men. The female students faced many hardships while attending school. They were not allowed to utilize rooms in the library, and the dean made it clear on his feelings towards female students. Ginsburg shared that the dean of Harvard Law asked the female law students, “why are you at Harvard Law School, taking the place of a man?” Setting a precedent to the sexism she would face throughout her law career. She was the first woman to be on two major law reviews, and she graduated top of her class in 1959 from Columbia.
- She Co-Found The Women’s Rights Project at ACLU
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In 1972, Ginsburg co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union and participated in more than 300 gender discrimination cases by 1974. As the Women’s Right Project co-founder, she argued six cases before the Supreme Court and won five.
- She Argued Six Cases Before The Supreme Court And Won Five
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The cases Ginsburg won not only benefited women with gender inequality but also helped men, and that was part of Ginsburg’s strategy. Ginsburg argued before the Court on behalf of a man who had caregiver benefits because he was a single father rather than a single mother. She won a case for a female service member who was being paid less, claiming the military statue made women seem inferior to men at the same job. Ginsburg challenged different drinking ages for men and women, and voluntary jury duty for men, voicing different treatment concerns towards men and women. She fought over the involuntary sterilization occurring in North Carolina in 1973. Her direct work and the work done by the Women’s Rights Project discouraged legislatures from treating women any different than men under the law.
- She Became The Second Female Supreme Court Member With Only Four Female Justices In American History
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President Bill Clinton nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court June 22, 1993, making her the first Jewish female and second woman on the Supreme Court. At her nomination hearing, Ginsburg said, “Indeed, in my lifetime, I expect to see three, four, perhaps even more women on the High Court bench. Women are not shaped from the same mold, but of different complexions.”
- She Gained Popularity Through Her Dissents
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Before her passing, Ginsburg gained popularity through dissenting cases on the Supreme Court. With a majority conservative court, Ginsburg often found herself disagreeing with her colleagues. The most recent case she dissented was contraceptives and if employers had the right not to offer contraceptives through medical insurance declaring religious freedom. In an interview with NPR back in 2002, Ginsburg said, “Dissents speak to a future age. It’s not simply to say, ‘My colleagues are wrong and I would do it this way.” But the greatest dissents do become court opinions, and gradually over time, their views come the dominant view. So that’s the dissenter’s hope: that they are writing not for today, but for tomorrow.”
Losing the Notorious RBG with the world’s current climate might make times feel a little darker and a little harder to get through. Not only have we lost an icon, but we’ve lost the voice which spoke for the less enfranchised and voiceless. We must remember and honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg by allowing her legacy to live on through policy, protests, and petitions. RBG set the seeds for gender equality; it’s our job to ensure those seeds grow.