Photo Credit: cnn.com
On September 10th, 2020 Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsberg passed away at the age of 87. She was known for her activism and fight for equality ever since she first joined the US Court Appeals for the District of Columbia. She was appointed in 1980 by Jimmy Carter and then later appointed into the Supreme Court in 1993 by former president Bill Clinton. Since then she has become popular with America’s youth and given the nickname ‘Notorious RBG.’ Despite her tragic passing, she will be remembered for how she changed the world.
Ginsberg’s position in the Supreme Court allowed her to progress the women’s rights movement for equality through the law. For example, in 1974 women were able to open their own bank accounts without a male co-signer after she passed the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. As shocking as it may seem women could not open their own bank accounts without a male until 1974. In fact, many laws passed by RBG are policies that are taken for granted in this era because of how her policies have normalized gender equality.
Another example is in 1966 during the United States vs Virginia case she ruled that it was unconstitutional for state funded schools to deny women based on their gender, meaning that a woman applying to a state college could not be discriminated against from getting a local education due to her gender.
Furthermore, she is known for her passing Duren vs Missouri in 1979. This law was passed in order to prevent exemptions from being in a jury based on one’s gender identity. Her power allowed women to finally have their voices heard over the white men trying to regulate their bodies. She once famously stated, “When I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court] and I say, ‘When there are nine,’ people are shocked. But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.” Ginsberg had lived her life fighting to be heard along with men. Her impact on the feminst movement should be studied for generations as a reminder to continually strive for justice.
While many know her for her strides in gender equality, she is also known for being an ally to the LGBTQ community. In 2015 during the Obergefell vs Hodges case she was the tie breaking vote that legalized same sex marriage. The ruling was 5-4 in favor of legalization; meaning without her help gay marriage may not have been legalized for many more years.
Even prior to the legalization of queer marriage she still fought to preserve their rights. For instance, in 2003 during Texas vs Lawrence she ruled that the criminalizatipn of sodomy or queer intercourse was in violation of the due process clause. This was a momentous step for the gay community because it allowed them to privately practice their sexual orientation without being criminalized.
Lastly, before her passing she determined on June 15th 2020 that discrimination based on sexuality or identity was in violatation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. While gay marriage has been legal for 5 years, members of the LGBT community are still struggling to be treated equally. Ruth Bader Ginsberg fought her hardest to keep their community safe and ensure their natural rights would be preserved.
Ginsberg was a revolutionary woman, especially considering the time period she grew up in, she believed in equal rights for all and worked her whole life to maintain that ideology.
As a country, we mourn her death and remember all she has done for individual freedom. President Trump also already has plans to fill her seat in court with Amy Coney Barrett.
In Ginsberg’s honor, we must all preserve her legacy by going out to vote. Ruth Bader Ginsberg worked her whole life to ensure the rights of everyone in America: we must preserve the world she fought to create.
