Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020. Nominated by President Bill Clinton to fill the seat vacated by Justice Byron White, she became the first Jewish woman and the second woman ever to sit on the Court. Throughout her tenure she was known for a combination of measured majority opinions and forceful dissents that reflected a commitment to civil rights, gender equality, and environmental protection.

Early life and legal career

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, the second daughter of Celia (née Amster) and Nathan Bader. Her parents were Jewish immigrants; her father came from Odesa, Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire, while her mother was a first‑generation American whose family had emigrated from Kraków, Poland. The family lived in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood and attended the East Midwood Jewish Center, where Ruth learned basic Hebrew and the tenets of Judaism.

The death of her older sister Marilyn at age six left a lasting impact on the family. When Ruth entered school, she was often confused with other classmates named Joan; to avoid this, her mother suggested that teachers call her by her middle name, Ruth. She attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, where she developed an early interest in law.

Ruth Bader pursued higher education at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in government on June 23, 1954. While there, she joined the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority and was active in academic societies such as Phi Beta Kappa. A month after graduating, she married Martin D. Ginsburg; the couple moved to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where Martin served in the Army Reserve.

She entered Harvard Law School but transferred to Columbia Law School, where she graduated joint first in her class. During the early 1960s, she worked with the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure, learned Swedish, and co‑authored a book with Swedish jurist Anders Bruzelius. Her experience in Sweden profoundly influenced her thinking about gender equality.

After law school, Ginsburg taught civil procedure at Rutgers Law School and later at Columbia Law School. She became one of the few women in her field and was the first female member of the Columbia faculty to receive tenure. Throughout this period she focused on issues of gender discrimination and civil rights, winning many arguments before the Supreme Court as a volunteer attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In the 1970s she served on the ACLU’s board of directors and acted as general counsel.

In 1980 President Jimmy Carter appointed Ginsburg to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She served on that appellate court until her elevation to the Supreme Court in 1993, where she continued to advocate for equality and civil liberties.

Supreme Court tenure

President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg to replace Justice Byron White; she was confirmed by the Senate on August 3, 1993, and began serving as an associate justice that same year. She occupied seat SCT0713 until her death in 2020. During her time on the Court she authored several notable majority opinions, including United States v. Virginia (1996), Olmstead v. L.C. (1999), Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. (2000), and City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York (2005). These opinions addressed a range of issues from gender discrimination to environmental law and tribal sovereignty.

Ginsburg’s style evolved over her tenure. Early on she was viewed as a moderate consensus‑builder, but later she became known for passionate dissents that reflected liberal perspectives on the law. A prominent example is her dissent in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (2007), where she argued for stronger protections against gender‑based wage discrimination.

Between 2006 and 2009, after the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and before the appointment of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Ginsburg was the sole female justice on the Court. She declined to retire in 2013 or 2014 when President Barack Obama could have appointed a successor; she chose to remain on the bench until her health declined.

Ginsburg died at her home in Washington, D.C., on September 18, 2020, at age 87 from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Her death created a vacancy that was filled 39 days later by Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The appointment contributed to one of three major rightward shifts in the Court’s composition since 1953.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Ginsburg’s jurisprudence is marked by a consistent focus on civil rights, gender equality, environmental protection, and the rights of marginalized groups. Her majority opinions often reinforced the principle that laws must not discriminate against women or other protected classes. In her dissents she frequently emphasized the importance of protecting individual liberties and ensuring equal treatment under the law.

Her legacy extends beyond specific rulings. As the first Jewish woman and second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, she paved the way for greater diversity within the judiciary. Her career as a professor, advocate, and judge exemplified a commitment to public service and legal scholarship. She became an iconic figure in American legal culture, known for her sharp intellect, steadfast advocacy for equality, and willingness to speak out against perceived injustices.

Ginsburg’s impact on the Court is evident in the lasting influence of her opinions and the continued reference to her dissents as models of principled dissent. Her death marked the end of an era characterized by a blend of consensus building and vigorous defense of civil liberties. The shift that followed her departure underscored the significance of her presence on the bench, both for the legal community and for the broader public’s understanding of justice and equality in the United States.