The Notorious R.B.G.
Following Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing on Friday, September 18, 2020, at the age of 87, thousands of people gathered in front of the Supreme Court building to lay flowers, light candles, and leave messages. The columns of the major media filled rapidly: not only had one of the most influential legal minds in the world died but an icon of the fight for women’s rights.
Throughout her career and until the very end, Ruth Bader Ginsburg remained committed to equality and justice. Her reputation extended past the courtroom into popular culture, becoming instantly recognizable in visual references. Ruth Bader Ginsburg championed change in a system that disadvantaged so many, including herself. The precedents that she set – not only with her landmark cases but with her career and achievements – created lasting change in the American legal landscape and beyond.
To make life a little better for people less fortunate than you, that’s what I think a meaningful life is. One lives not just for oneself but for one’s community.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
To fully understand the lifetime achievements of Ruth Bader Ginsburg – regardless of your political persuasion – Jane Sherron De Hart’s nearly-800-page biography is a good place to start. It is an extensive and lovingly crafted tribute to the “Notorious R.B.G.,” and a record of her fight – dignified, cautious, inexhaustible – against the inequalities that persist in our systems and society.