The Making of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

(Disclaimer: La Tonique Media LLC does not represent any political ideology. While we do not espouse any political beliefs, we do seek to provide a balance perspective by incorporating voices from both sides of the political spectrum.)

By Stepan Gauvreau

On Aug. 3rd, 1993, the U.S. Senate voted 96-3 to approve the appointment of Ruth Bader Ginsburg to a seat on the bench of the highest court in the United States, making her the second female Supreme Court justice in American history.  This overwhelming support placed a deserving candidate who had fought for social progress and gender equality in a unique position to shape American law.  Before becoming a Supreme Court justice, the previous 60 years of her life left her with an inextinguishable desire to create a more fair and just America, on which she made an indelible mark.  

Born in 1933, RBG was brought up in some of the most tumultuous times that the United States and the rest of the world had ever witnessed.  Even before she began her illustrious legal career in 1959, she experienced the keen sting of gender discrimination when she was rejected after applying to work for a Supreme Court justice due to her gender.  Later, in the early ‘60s, she conducted research in Sweden, where she was exposed to a relative stark lack of gender inequality in the Swedish society, including the judiciary.

She had an impressive stint in academia, teaching at Rutgers University School of Law until 1972 and at Columbia University School of Law until 1980. Because she had faced discrimination and lower pay in academia and in her personal and professional life, Bader Ginsburg zealously advocated for the expansion of comprehensive rights for women, co-founding the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, where she also served as a general counsel.  

The ardent work of this group in championing gender equality was paramount in enshrining legal protection for women in all spheres of life in the United States.  As a member of this organization, she successfully argued in front of the Supreme Court six times, scoring five victories that subverted the notion of the dependence of women on men.  RBG was successful in  not only setting legal precedents for the protection of women in the workplace and at home, but also in shifting societal attitudes toward recognizing the agency that women should possess in a truly democratic society.  

Ruth Bader Ginsburg zealously advocated for the expansion of comprehensive rights for women.

(Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States)

Long before she sat on the bench of the Supreme Court, RBG was a vociferous advocate for the equal application of the law to all Americans.  This unwavering wish to see pervasive equality in American society led to victories not only for American women, but also for men.  She was famously buoyed by her adoring husband, Martin Ginsburg, who supported her rise through the ranks of the judiciary.  President Bill Clinton, in announcing Bader Ginsburg as a nominee to the Supreme Court, voiced his glowing endorsement, saying that “...in her years on the bench, she has genuinely distinguished herself as one of our nation's best judges, progressive in outlook, wise in judgement, balanced and fair in her opinions.”

As a justice of the Supreme Court, Bader Ginsburg boasted a career marked by a constant and tenacious voice that called for the protection of equality by the law.  My colleague and contributor to La Tonique, Dagen Kipling, faithfully details her outstanding career, stating that “Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the strongest advocates for equality and justice our generation has ever seen.” 

Her impact is undeniable and her replacement impossible.  Jasper Takenori Tsuchiya Cook of La Tonique sets forth the upcoming battle that will take place over the justice who will follow in her titanic shadow and when that appointment will occur.  Despite the bitter fight to come, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy will not be forgotten.  She dutifully essayed to create protections for women’s reproductive choices, rights in the workplace and at home, and access to abortion.  A firm believer of equity for all, she defended those most disenfranchised and marginalized in America throughout her noteworthy life.  

The fractured America in which she passed is in dire need of the leaders like Bader Ginsburg.   Author Irin Carmon, states in her book Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, that “Over the course of the centuries, people left out of the Constitution fought to have their humanity recognized by it. RBG sees that struggle as her life’s work.”  RBG noted that the original beliefs and attitudes of the society from which the Constitution originated would have precluded her distinguished service.  In her absence, which will be sorely felt, let us celebrate Bader Ginsburg’s life and assume her mantle by advocating for a fair and equal America for all. 

Stepan is a political writer for La Tonique.