The Life and Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

What comes to mind when you think of Ruth Bader Ginsburg? A Supreme Court Justice, the second woman on the court? Well, she was even more than that. She was an incredibly influential figure in women's rights, and she fought in court for gender equality until the day she died. When she began her professional career, she was restricted from certain jobs by hundreds of misogynistic laws, and she had fewer rights than her male counterparts did. Nevertheless she fought to open doors for women, so that they could have opportunities she did not.

Ginsburg was incredibly smart, and she received a full scholarship to Cornell at age 17. After college, she got into Harvard Law School, where she was one of nine women amongst 500 men. Her presence was constantly questioned, and she was criticized for taking a spot away from a man. Her husband Marty, whom she met at Cornell, was diagnosed with cancer during this time. Ginsburg had to juggle raising her two year old child, taking care of Marty, and studying at the same time. And we think our lives are hard! Ginsburg then transferred to Columbia and graduated at the top of her class. Her academic achievements were just the beginning of her extraordinary career.

After Ginsburg’s education, one of her Harvard professors recommended her for a clerkship for Supreme Court Justice Frankfurter, identifying Ginsburg as the best person for the job. But Frankfurter declined, claiming he wasn’t “ready” to hire a woman. She further faced gender discrimination when in 1963, she got a job teaching at Rutgers Law School. She had to hide her second pregnancy in order to keep teaching. In both of these cases, Ginsburg had to overcome obstacles that no man of her aptitude would. Ginsburg was finally appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993, after many years of hard work.

Additional accomplishments of Ginsburg include working with President Obama to pass the very first piece of legislation he signed (the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009), and co-founding the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU. She argued hundreds of cases, striving for women to have equal pay and equal rights. She fought for women everywhere, while fighting herself to stay alive. In 1999, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and battled until her death on September 18th from pancreatic cancer.

In her 27 years on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg made sure state funded schools had to admit qualified women. Because of her, women could sign a mortgage or have a bank account without a male co-signer. She reserved a woman's right to choose what to do with her body, and pushed to protect pregnant women in the workplace, as she had to hide her pregnancy. She was also a key vote in granting same-sex marriages. Throughout her life, Ginsburg defied stereotypes and left a legacy that will never be forgotten. She is a role model to young girls everywhere, inspiring them to fight for equality. Her tragic death on September 18th was a significant loss, but what’s more important is the incredible life she led and the legacy she left.