Saturday, September 19, 2020
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg died yesterday. The news broke as Rosh Hashanah began.
I know that there will be a rush of speculation about the political implications of her death, but I hope people will take a bit of time to reflect on her legacy first.
She was, like Thurgood Marshall, a renowned appellate litigator before she was a jurist. She broke barriers for women, and in winning those cases made our society better for both men and women.
On the bench, she had a passion and engagement with the work that she shared with Justice Scalia; both of them worked as if it really mattered.
She was kind to many people around her, and loved by those who were close to her. Those who were not near her respected, even feared, her intellect.
My female students often hold her up as a role model, and I like that. She is the right kind of hero to have.
I got to talk about her a little just after I heard of her death. You can hear that here, starting about 3 minutes into the segment.
