Who Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg? (Who Was?)

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 10:32:51 -0700

Joan Ruth Bader was born on March 15, 1933. Ruth’s parents, Nathan and Celia, taught their children about working hard. Mr. and Mrs. Bader instilled in their children a sense of pride for their freedom. After a tragic loss of their oldest child, Nathan and Celia pinned all their hopes on Ruth. Being a strong believer in women’s rights, Celia instilled in Ruth a value for education. Ruth invested in her studies and tried her hardest to be the best student. Even with the support, Ruth was carrying a large burden; her mother had cancer. Unfortunately, Celia died on Ruth’s graduation day. Although devastated, Ruth knew she needed to push forward. Attending Cornell, Ruth worked hard studying law. While there, Ruth met Marty Ginsburg. He prized her love for education and her willingness to work. Ruth said, “Marty was the first boy I ever knew who cared that I had a brain.”. With hard work, Ruth and Marty were accepted to Harvard. Before starting, they got married in 1954. Unfortunately, law school had to wait for the newlyweds. Having been sent into the military, Marty was transferred to Oklahoma. Ruth took on a job in the Social Security office. Unfortunately, Ruth had trouble fitting into her job. This did not improve when Ruth told her boss she was pregnant. Having her salary and rank lowered, Ruth was furious. About two years later, Marty and Ruth attended law school. Unfortunately, the couple was hit with another blow. They discovered that Marty had cancer. But with determination, Marty graduated law school. Because Ruth was younger than Marty and he was offered a job in New York City, Ruth was unable to finish her degree. But that did not stop Ruth from graduating from Columbia University. Unlike her initial dream, she landed a job as a clerk for a federal judge. Later, a door opened for Ruth to become a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey. There, she was one of the first female law professors in America. Unfortunately her salary was lower than the men and the school could not give a clear answer why. Finally, there came a chance for Ruth to voice her opinions. In 1973, in the US Supreme Court, Ruth fought in front of justices on behalf of her client. She told the justices that now, women, along with men, were breadwinners. Ruth argued that there should be equal rights for women just like there was equal rights for men. Dazzling the courtroom with her “sheer force”, Ruth won the case! Ruth’s reputation went all the way to the oval office where newly elected Jimmy Carter appointed Ruth as a federal judge on a circuit court. Soon the Ginsburgs moved from New York City to Washington D.C. It was a change for Ruth but, with her fair personality, Ruth was the perfect fit. But she wanted more. An opening for a Supreme Court justice came when Bill Clinton became president. Hearing about Ruth and her impartial rulings, President Clinton knew she was the one for the job. In 1993, Ruth was sworn in as a Supreme Court justice. In 2013, Ruth was a justice for 20 years. Given the nickname “The Notorious RBG” , Ruth became known for her truth. In fact, her honesty was so famous that a popular saying about her was, “You can’t spell truth without Ruth”. Ruth was also known for being “tough as nails”. Ruth was charging the courtroom with her brute force. Even so, the legend went through a rough patch when Marty passed away. Even with this hurdle, Ruth pressed on. Unfortunately, the legend died from pancreatic cancer at age 87 on September 18, 2020. Even after her death, her legacy lives in the hearts of the people she helped and in minds of people who look up to her. Justice Ginsburg is known for being a headstrong heroine in the fight for human rights. To Ruth, all men and women truly are created equal. One of her most famous quotes was, “Fight for the things you believe in but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” She definitely lived that.