When asked if she had any advice for young women in 2015, Ruth Bader Ginsburg responded, “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” At the time, she had just won the Harvard Radcliffe Medal, a prestigious award presented to individuals who have had a transformative impact on society. From her swearing in as a Supreme Court Justice in 1993 to her death on September 18, 2020, her wise words have proven her to be one of the most important feminist characters in modern day politics.
Ginsburg, fondly nicknamed the “Notorious RBG,” attended Ithaca’s own Cornell University and graduated at the top of her class in 1954, then continued to attend Harvard and Columbia Law School. She fought colon and pancreatic cancer throughout the last 20 years, continuing to actively hold her seat in the face of adversity. During her service, she inspired many to join her in her long battles in court, while receiving many more awards for her work.
Despite graduating at the top of her Columbia Law class in 1959, she had terrible difficulty finding a job due to intense gender discrimination in the workplace. Even after finally being appointed as a clerk and working for two years, the jobs she was then offered promised far lower pay than her male counterparts. In 1972, she began teaching at Columbia, further advancing to become the first female professor at the university to earn tenure.
Known for being able to channel her own discrimination experiences into arguing for important causes, during her time as a Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg worked especially hard to gain women equal rights. One accomplishment was when she, writing for the majority, defeated the male-only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) with a 7-1 vote in her favor. When visiting VMI a few years later with Ginsburg, law clerk Lisa Frelinghuysen described the female cadets to NPR in an interview as “incredibly excited about their lives going forward and determined to make a difference in the world,” adding on that, “It was really thrilling to see. Several of them thanked the Justice for helping them to achieve their dreams, and I found that quite moving.”
Another significant battle Ginsburg fought for women’s rights was centered around pregnancy discrimination. During her time as a professor at Rutgers University Law School, she hid a pregnancy under baggy clothes, concerned about losing her job and how she would be treated. She then went on to advocate for equal rights for pregnant women, working with others to form the Coalition to End Discrimination Against Pregnant Workers. Their efforts culminated in the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, which classified pregnancy discrimination in the workplace as unlawful sex discrimination.
Ginsburg was also a supporter of legal abortion, stating, “This is something central to a woman’s life, to her dignity. It’s a decision that she must make for herself. And when government controls that decision for her, she’s being treated as less than a fully adult human responsible for her own choices.” She believed in a woman’s right to choose. She was also an advocate for the LGBTQ community, supporting LGBTQ rights in court and officiating same-sex weddings.
Following her death, Ginsburg became the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state at the US Capitol in National Statuary Hall, continuing to break boundaries. In the few days prior, her casket was placed at the top of the Supreme Court steps. Endless crowds came to pay their respects, often driving hours to see her. Perhaps one of the most notable and touching tributes was that of Ginsburg’s personal trainer for over two decades, Bryant Johnson. He stood in front of her casket in National Statuary Hall, then proceeded to drop to the ground and execute three push-ups in her honor.
Many hope to stand up for their beliefs with similar vigor as Ginsburg did, remembering her determined demeanor to open doors for all. As described by Brenda Siegel, a single mother who drove from Vermont to pay her respects, “We are either going to have to stand up and fight as hard as she would, or we are going to see everything that we value and love fall.” Furthermore, Ginsburg will also be pleasantly remembered for her sense of humor and public speaking skills, as she herself once remarked that “It helps sometimes to be a little deaf in marriage and in every workplace, including the good job I have now.”
Ruth Bader Ginsburg devoted her time as a Justice of the Supreme Court to supporting equal rights and accomplishing many milestones, and will be remembered for her fiery passion. She once expressed how she’d like to be thought of: “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. To do something, as my colleague David Souter would say, outside myself. ‘Cause I’ve gotten much more satisfaction for the things that I’ve done for which I was not paid.” Many will continue to strive to fight as strongly and fervently as the Notorious RBG did for over twenty-five years.