Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, feminist icon, dies at 87
Notorious RBG
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, famously nicknamed “Notorious RBG” for her strong work ethic and fierce dedication to women’s rights, died at her home Friday after a lengthy battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer.
Ginsburg, who was 87 at the time of her death, is the second woman to be nominated to the U.S. Supreme Court. She was nominated in 1993 by then President Bill Clinton.
According to a press release from the Supreme Court, Ginsburg died in her Washington, D.C., home surrounded by family members.
“Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in the statement. “Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her, a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Fighting for women’s rights
Before she became an associate justice to the Supreme Court, Ginsburg acted as general counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. During that time, she argued over 300 gender discrimination cases. Six of those were before the Supreme Court.
The cases Ginsburg argued before the Supreme Court relied heavily on the 14 Amendment, and the amendment’s equal protection clause. By arguing for the rights of male plaintiffs in cases like Kahn v. Shevin, Ginsburg was able demonstrate how gender discrimination harms both men and women.
Other memorable cases include Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., where Ginsburg joined three other justices to dissent against wage discrimination.
There were also times when she took a solo stance on reproductive rights. In Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, her concurrence on the case was called a victory for reproductive freedom.
Her Legacy
In 2016, Ginsburg co-authored a book, My Own Words, with her biographers Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. The book details many of Ginsburg’s speeches and writings, some dating back to when she was in eighth grade.
Concerning feminism, Ginsburg wrote in her book, “Feminism, I think the simplest explanation, and one that captures the idea, is a song that Marlo Thomas sang, ‘Free to be You and Me.’ Free to be, if you were a girl—doctor, lawyer, Indian chief. Anything you want to be. And if you’re a boy, and you like teaching, you like nursing, you would like to have a doll, that’s OK too. That notion that we should each be free to develop our own talents, whatever they may be, and not be held back by artificial barriers—manmade barriers, certainly not heaven sent.”
Ginsburg is survived by 2 children, 4 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
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