Hannah Larson
Staff Writer
Given that Ruth Bader Ginsberg passed last September and Democrats just introduced legislation to build a monument on the Capitol in her honor, it is high time to pay homage and shed some light on her career. She was a fighter for all women pushing for equality in every aspect of life. While she was not appointed to the Supreme Court until 1993, her law career began much earlier.
After graduating from Columbia Law School in 1959, Ruth Bader Ginsburg perpetually endured the unfairness that came from being a woman, especially as a woman in the field of law. Since gender discrimination was very prevalent at the time, Ginsburg was often overlooked and ignored for employment positions. Luckily, this didn’t stop her from dominating the legal field.
Ginsburg eventually became the notable voice advocating for gender equality. In the year 1970, she helped create the Women’s Rights Law Reporter, the initial journal centering around women’s rights. It was the first of its kind in the United States. Along with that, Ginsburg also co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Rights Union in 1972. This project engaged in over 300 gender discrimination cases in the first two years of being established.
Making her debut in front of the Supreme Court, Ginsburg disputed six gender discrimination cases winning a total of five. Throughout her many years of legal work, she contributed to several well-known cases. These cases include Reed vs. Reed, Duren vs. Missouri, and Weinberger vs. Wiesenfeld.
Later, Ginsburg was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to join the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the spring of 1980. After years of service, she was then appointed by Bill Clinton to become an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court in 1993.
During her time on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg was described as being, “A jurist who seeks to build cautiously on precedent rather than pushing the Constitution towards her own vision.” She continued to forge ahead in the fight for equality, putting her stamp on the world.
Ginsburg had quite a liberal mentality on abortion rights indicating. “…the basic thing is that the government has no business making that choice for a woman.” Because of her contributions throughout her life, she has been recognized with several awards including being inducted to the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002, named one of 100 Most Powerful Women in 2009 and Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2015.
Ginsburg has left an impression on many students including UNCG junior, Gabby Cucci.
“What stood out to me about Ruth Bader Ginsburg is that she wasn’t afraid to make people uncomfortable,” Gabby said. “She understands that change has to be made and she fought for it until the day she died,” she added. Ginsburg was certainly a force to be reckoned with and a voice for change. Gabby then continued, “She got women into state-funded schools, she made it so women could get their own bank accounts.” Because of Ginsburg, Gabby concludes, “women don’t need to rely on men. We can be independent.”
When Ginsburg died in September of 2020, the world lost an honest hero and honorable human being. Her accomplishments, devotion and fierce determination will be greatly remembered throughout history. Although she was small, she was a mighty person who challenged the barriers of societal standards.
Several of her supporters were at a loss for words after her death. Senator Kirk Watson expressed, “A great loss. A great life. A person of courage and character who we should all honor…” Hillary Clinton also went on to say, “There will never be another like her.” That is true.Her legacy and hard work will continue to live on. Linda Greenhouse from TheNew York Times called the 2006-2007 Supreme Court term “the time when Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg found her voice and used it.”Ginsburg’s successes are unmeasurable and remarkable, rightly earning her the name “The Notorious RBG”.
THE CAROLINIAN 
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