Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as RBG, was not only a Supreme Court Justice, but a trailblazer who was dedicated to creating new opportunities for women and continuing Feminism.
RBG grew up in a Jewish and low-income family in Brooklyn New York, receiving an education at James Madison High school. She grew up idolizing her mother, who taught her the true value of education and independence. Ginsburg went on to graduate top of her class from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government. After, she was accepted to Harvard Law School, where she was one of nine women in her class.
During Ginsburg’s college years, she met her husband, Marty. Young and in love, Marty and Ruth started their family early, making Ruth a mother as she entered Law School. From Harvard, Ginsburg transferred to Columbia Law School, as her husband had accepted a job at a top law firm in Manhattan. Ginsberg graduated top of her class again. Despite her impressive academic achievements, Ginsburg struggled to find a job after graduation. Even though Ginsburg was highly qualified, New York City law firms weren’t interested in hiring a woman, let alone a mother.
Despite gender barriers, Ginsburg was able to get a job as a Law Professor at Rutgers University Law School, and later taught at Columbia Law School. At Columbia, she was the first female professor ever to be tenured. During her time at Columbia, Ginsburg also founded the Women’s Rights Project in 1972 with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and led its efforts during six landmark Supreme Court cases for gender equality. One project included Ginsburg suing her employer for paying her significantly less than her male counterparts.
After years of fighting for space for women, Ginsburg was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to work on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She worked there for 13 years until President Bill Clinton appointed her to the Supreme Court in 1993. This made Ginsburg the second female to be on the Supreme Court, after Sandra Day O’Connor, who was appointed in 1981.
For 27 years, RBG fought and wrote for many landmark decisions in the sphere of women’s rights. In 1996, RBG contributed to the decisions of US v. Virginia, which essentially stated that the Virginia Military Institute could not refuse admission to women based on gender. This broke the ice for Ginsburg's many landmark decisions, including many other groundbreaking women’s rights decisions. In 2010, Ginsburg was a strong advocate for marriage equality during the Obergefell v. Hodges decision.
Ginsburg fought for women’s rights on the Supreme Court up until the day she died on September 18th, 2020. The legacy Ginsburg has left is evident, touching the lives of so many American women, including myself; my home wifi password is even her name.
