The Notorious Pioneer for Gender Equality
Written By: SoEun (Sonya) Park
“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
An endless fighter for women’s rights and social justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a Supreme Court Justice and the co-founder of the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Association (ACLU), a non-profit organization that works to defend and uphold the rights and liberties of American citizens.
Being one of the only nine women at Harvard Law School in 1956, Ginsburg and the other women were asked by the dean why they were taking up seats that would otherwise be occupied by men (there were about five hundred men in the school). Despite the dean’s misgivings and doubts, Ginsburg proved to be an outstanding student and ended up attending Columbia Law School.
Despite her remarkable academic achievements and being tied for first in her class at Columbia in 1959, Ginsburg still faced gender-based discrimination when she tried to find a job in the workplace. However, when Albert Sachs, a professor at Harvard Law School, recommended her a clerkship to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, he answered that he wasn’t ready to hire a woman. She ended up becoming a law clerk to a judge in the U.S District Court, specifically the Southern District of New York. She soon became a professor at Columbia University School of Law and was the first woman to be hired there with tenure. Later on, she became a part of the general counsel for the ACLU. After becoming a judge of the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice by President Bill Clinton on August 10th, 1993.
Ginsburg was famous for winning five of six big gender equality cases that eliminated legal barriers used to hold back women in the workplace. This included jury duty requirements, social security, military spousal benefits, and legal drinking age. Through the 27 years she served, she helped drive the court to decisions that were historic to the protection of civil liberties and equal opportunity under the law. In United States v. Virginia, she changed the Virginia Military Institute’s Male Only policy and in Olmstead v. L.C, she maintained the right of mentally disabled citizens to live in communities rather than special institutions. Furthermore, in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, she argued for granting same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states. Her attitude that major social change should not come from the courts but rather from Congress and other legislature allowed for social change to remain in Congress’ power while also receiving guidance from the court. By attacking specific areas of discrimination and violations of women’s rights one at a time, she had a reputation of always speaking with passion and often disagreeing with the majority.
On September 18th, 2020, Ruth Gader Ginsburg died at the age of 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Her dying wish was for her replacement as the Supreme Court Judge to be appointed after the 2020 presidential election. President Donald Trump has ignored and questioned Ginsburg’s desire, oblivious to the outcries of many who want to grant her last wish. Nevertheless, Ruth Bader Ginsburg will always be remembered as a “tireless and resolute champion of justice”- the notorious pioneer for gender equality.
Quote Source:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a34083423/ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes/
Image Source:
https://society6.com/product/rbg-associate-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg_print
Being one of the only nine women at Harvard Law School in 1956, Ginsburg and the other women were asked by the dean why they were taking up seats that would otherwise be occupied by men (there were about five hundred men in the school). Despite the dean’s misgivings and doubts, Ginsburg proved to be an outstanding student and ended up attending Columbia Law School.
Despite her remarkable academic achievements and being tied for first in her class at Columbia in 1959, Ginsburg still faced gender-based discrimination when she tried to find a job in the workplace. However, when Albert Sachs, a professor at Harvard Law School, recommended her a clerkship to Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, he answered that he wasn’t ready to hire a woman. She ended up becoming a law clerk to a judge in the U.S District Court, specifically the Southern District of New York. She soon became a professor at Columbia University School of Law and was the first woman to be hired there with tenure. Later on, she became a part of the general counsel for the ACLU. After becoming a judge of the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice by President Bill Clinton on August 10th, 1993.
Ginsburg was famous for winning five of six big gender equality cases that eliminated legal barriers used to hold back women in the workplace. This included jury duty requirements, social security, military spousal benefits, and legal drinking age. Through the 27 years she served, she helped drive the court to decisions that were historic to the protection of civil liberties and equal opportunity under the law. In United States v. Virginia, she changed the Virginia Military Institute’s Male Only policy and in Olmstead v. L.C, she maintained the right of mentally disabled citizens to live in communities rather than special institutions. Furthermore, in the Obergefell v. Hodges case, she argued for granting same-sex couples the right to marry in all 50 states. Her attitude that major social change should not come from the courts but rather from Congress and other legislature allowed for social change to remain in Congress’ power while also receiving guidance from the court. By attacking specific areas of discrimination and violations of women’s rights one at a time, she had a reputation of always speaking with passion and often disagreeing with the majority.
On September 18th, 2020, Ruth Gader Ginsburg died at the age of 87 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Her dying wish was for her replacement as the Supreme Court Judge to be appointed after the 2020 presidential election. President Donald Trump has ignored and questioned Ginsburg’s desire, oblivious to the outcries of many who want to grant her last wish. Nevertheless, Ruth Bader Ginsburg will always be remembered as a “tireless and resolute champion of justice”- the notorious pioneer for gender equality.
Quote Source:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a34083423/ruth-bader-ginsburg-quotes/
Image Source:
https://society6.com/product/rbg-associate-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg_print