Ruth Bader Ginsburg aka Notorious RBG

The Life and Times of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the lady, the mother, and the judge who happened to be Jewish

September 19, 2020 was a day that the world stood still due to the death of Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg who championed equal rights for all, men and women. The Supreme Court was flanked with thousands and thousand of lives that she had touched with her efforts, each mourned the loss of a true giant to the very end of her life. Sometimes the good die young, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and the good die old, like Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. God has all the answers for who stays and who goes. Notorious RBG brand will forever be planted at the U.S. Supreme Court, in millions of hearts, graced upon the many books, documentaries, and museums that will allow future generations to appreciate all the persistence Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg utilized to eradicate gender bias and equality for all.

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Joan Ruth Bader born March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York to Nathan and Celia Bader. She was their second daughter, the first died of meningitis right after Ruth was born. As an only child, her mother guided her to learn and read a lot, do homework, always be a lady and never to get angry because it was a waste of energy and time.

As a young girl ironically, she loved to run and jump from rooftops and doing all the activities that boys would do. e.g. crawling and jumping off roofs. Academically, her mother’s thirst for knowledge made Ruth excelled as a student. As she prepared to graduate from high school, the day before her graduation her mother passed away in 1950 of a long illness with cervical cancer. Ruth persisted through her graduation.

A few months after her mother’s death, Ruth left Brooklyn, New York for Cornell University upon achieving a scholarship and where she met and later married a Harvard Law student, Martin Ginsburg. Thereafter, she enrolled in Harvard Law class of 500 and was one of nine women as she was elected to Harvard Law Review. But she made her dissent to Columbia following her husband after he obtained a job in New York City as an expert tax law attorney.

After graduation in 1959, she tied with the honor of top student in her class but as she sought employment not a single law firm would hire because she was a lady, a mother and was Jewish.

She graduated from Columbia Law School first in her class and could not get an interview to be a clerk at the all-male Supreme Court and struggled to even find employment in New York City. She was rejected for an interview by the Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter because he couldn’t see hiring a lady in a man’s job. She persisted as she built bridges each step of the way.

Twenty years before Ruth, only one woman had been hired as a clerk, Lucile Lomen in 1944 who was hired by Justice William O. Douglas. Being persistent, Ruth gained employment as a clerk for a federal district judge. Afterwards, she began her long teaching career at Rutgers University, and then onto Columbia University. By this time, she and her husband had two children, Jane and James but she persisted with her career.

With persistence, Ruth over many years surfaced as a voice for women and injustices for all in many courtrooms and won all of her cases but one. She was a lady with a soft authoritative voice and comprised more knowledge than an encyclopedia or google, that made all take note, especially men whom she wanted to get their attention as she challenged gender bias that they seem to be oblivious of.

Becoming a counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, led her to become the leader of the Women’s Rights Project in 1962 where she persisted to change the court’s view on gender bias and its impact on women and men. Strategically, she set out to undercut sexist laws as she demonstrated with persistency in some gender bias cases pertaining to men and her triumphs allowed her to prove gender discrimination hurt men and women. Thereafter, Ruth went on to win five out of her six cases that she took before the high court in 1970s and later left the ACLU to become a judge.

Ruth’s persistence paid off, 1980 President Carter named her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, often described as the nations’ second-highest court. This was followed a year later with President Reagan naming Susan O’Connor, a state appeals judge, the first woman on the Supreme Court and Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined her twelve years later as the second female justice.

In the spring of 1993, President Clinton was indecisive and flounced back and forth regarding a nominee to appoint to the Supreme Court. Martin Ginsburg, her husband and biggest fan, set out on a letter-writing campaign on her behalf to convince President Clinton that Judge Ginsburg was an ideal candidate who was an experienced federal appeals court judge who had fought the many fights for gender equality. President Clinton took note and permitted an interview, and according to him, the moment he saw her, he knew she was the perfect choice to fill the seat on the Supreme Court bench.

President Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court, during this nomination, she paid tribute to her mother brining tears to many eyes. She recalled, “the bravest and strongest person I have known, who was taken from me too soon. I pray that I may be all that she would have been had had she lived in an age when women could aspire and achieve and daughters are cherished as much as sons.”

As a Supreme Court Justice, she persisted through four bouts with various forms of cancer and never missed a beat upon being released from the hospital and during her treatment. She continued to her last day as she drafted a note to her granddaughter her wishes for equality for all and her thoughts on the equity of the upcoming 2020 presidential election. Most notable is her last talked about wish, “that the incoming president for the 2020 election fills her seat ant not the current president.” Even in death she persisted to fight for the rights of many. Yes, Notorious RBG, you ruled bigger than life and quieter unlike anyone before, we hear you and strive to persist to make your wish come true, we pray.

Because of her persistence with quiet demeanor, she earned the title, “Notorious RBG” that she graciously accepted.

She persisted when her mother died through high school graduation, she persisted being discriminated against for being a lady, mother and Jewish, She persisted when her husband fought cancer during their college years, she persisted as a mother, wife and attorney, she persisted through long work hours, she persisted in building bridges at work, she persisted in being denied a job meant for a man, she persisted in arguing 300 cases before the Supreme Court, she persisted after her husband death, back on the job the next day, in death her legacy is persisting to do the right thing for her replacement after the election.

Wow!!! Notorious RBG, you will be truly missed but forever championed as many law students will walk in your footsteps, as the courts uphold your mandates and society embraces your persistency.

In conclusion, Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg touched many, all genders and ethnicity as she persisted to teach each how to stand up for justice for all. September 18, 2020, at age 87 she hung up her persistency to join her husband in heaven. May they rest together in peace. Barack Obama Joe Biden Kamala Harris

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s quotes:

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”

“I said on the equality side of it, that it is essential to a woman’s equality with man that she be the decision-maker, that her choice be controlling.”

“Women will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”

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