Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an Associate Justice for the Supreme Court of the United States. She was known to be an advocate for gender equality. In the United States, we have not seen equality between men and women. Justice Ginsburg was always trying to make women feel like they were enough. She simply said, “[w]omen will only have true equality when men share with them the responsibility of bringing up the next generation.”
She was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1933, where grew up in a low-income household. She had a close relationship with her mother who taught her the importance of education and equality. Sadly, when Justice Ginsburg was in high school, her mom was diagnosed with cancer. Yet, her mother still worked hard to provide for her family. Her mother died a day before her high school graduation. This had a big impact on Justice Ginsburg’s life. Her first role model was certainly her mother. Her mother’s death was one of the hardest obstacles Justice Ginsburg had to face.
Justice Ginsburg earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University. She then attended Harvard Law School but transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated. While studying to for her law degree, her husband was diagnosed with cancer. She helped keep her husband—who was also in law school—up to date with his studies while taking her own courses. This was particularly difficult for her as law school was a male-dominated education structure.
As a lawyer, Justice Ginsburg took on a lot of cases fighting for gender rights. She was not only fighting for justice of women, but also took on cases representing men who were discriminated against. Justice Ginsburg also served as a law professor for Rutgers University and Columbia University.
Justice Ginsburg was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980. She served in this position until she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the United States Supreme Court in 1983. She was only the second women appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, serving in this role for 27 years. She was appointed because of her unwavering dedication to equality in this country. She earned the title of the great Dissenter, disagreeing on opinions that attacked equality.
One of her most well-known Supreme Court opinions was found in United States v. Virginia in 1996. In this case, she targeted Virginia Military Institute which had a male-only attendance policy. She wanted equal protection for women looking to get an education.
In 2018, Justice Ginsburg was the subject of the box office success “On the Basis of Sex,” a film documenting her initial journey from law school into advocacy legal work. She made a feature appearance on the steps of the Supreme Court.
Justice Ginsburg left something that many women will be forever grateful for. She left her followers and supporters mourning her death but grateful she spoke up for millions of women across the United States.