Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Are you familiar with that name? If you aren’t you should be, because she is seriously one of the greatest people to ever grace this earth with her presence. Between being only the second women ever appointed to the supreme court, her sassy attitiude, and her feminist ways, Ginsburg has become an American treasure. Here are many of the reasons that so many people look up to the notorious RBG.
1. She fought for ending the pay gap in a totally awesome and kind of unprecented way.
In the 2007 court case Ledbetter v. Goodyear the supreme court made a decision that was definitely dissapointing. They ruled that workers are not allowed to sue their employers for unequal pay that had occured several years earlier. Ginsburg was NOT okay with this ruling, and said so in front of the whole court as she read her dissent right from the bench, which basically never happens. Ginsburg has only ever done this six other times in her 13 year career and never twice in one term, so you could tell this was important. But when she voiced her opinion, she was heard. Days after she made her dissenting speech, many congressmen got in touch with her and Obama eventually passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act on January 29, 2009. Ginsburg reminds all of us that we need to speak our minds to make change, even if we think it is loud or disruptive.
In her dissenting speech, Ginsburg said “In our view, the court does not comprehend, or is indifferent to, the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination.” You tell em’, RBG!
2. The woman knows how to celebrate.
We all know the Roe v. Wade ruling’s 40th anniversary can’t go unnoticed, at least not as long as Ruth Bader Ginsburg is around! Ginsburg held a forum in 2013 about the ruling and how many changes we still need to make in order to give women the full right to chose that they deserve.
3. She’s SWOL!
Ginsburg is 83 (!!!!) years old yet trains with Bryant Johnson and can do 20 pushups and has been following a daily workout routine since 1999 after receiving treatment for colon cancer. Now please tell me again that women aren’t as strong as men.
4. She doesn’t let politics get in the way of her friendships.
Ginsburg and the late Antonin Scalia, a well known conservative justice, were the best of friends. In fact, there is speculation that he had a small part in her appointment in 1993. The two loved the opera and Ginsburg and her husband spent every New Year’s eve with Scalia and his wife.
After Scalia’s death, Ginsburg wrote“He was eminently quotable, his pungent opinions so clearly stated that his words never slipped from the reader’s grasp…. It was my great good fortune to have known him as working colleague and treasured friend.” (I’m definitely NOT crying here…)
5. Like a lot of Americans, she just can’t help but love Barack Obama.
6. She’s just really stylish.
As someone who loves cute outfits and lace and sparkles, RBG is what I aspire to be when I am 83.
7. And most importantly, she is unapolegetically herself.
If only everyone could be a little more like the notorious RBG.