Nov. 18, 2020
By Valentina Novak
Editor
Ruther Bader Ginsburg lost her battle to metastatic pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18. Since 1993, when Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court, her goal was to create equality for people of all races, genders and sexualities.
In 1954, Ginsburg graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. In 1956, she began studying law at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts before transferring to Columbia University in New York in 1958 to complete her law degree, which she earned in 1959. The following year, despite having graduated first in her class, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter refused to hire her for a position as a clerk due to her gender. After Frankfurter’s rejection, she was able to secure a clerkship that year from federal Judge Edmund Palmieri of the Southern District of New York.
Ginsburg taught law at Rutgers University-Newark from 1963 to 1972 before returning to Columbia in 1972 to serve on the faculty of its law school. While teaching full-time at Columbia, she co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union’s Women’s Rights Project and argued six successful landmark cases before the Supreme Court in addition to overseeing more than 300 sex discrimination cases.
Ginsburg resigned from Columbia’s faculty in 1980 once President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. In 1993, Ginsburg joined the Supreme Court after being appointed by President Bill Clinton. The Senate voted 96-3 to confirm Ginsburg.
History teacher Ms. Schiraldi said when she heard of Ginsburg’s death, she felt like she had been punched in the stomach.
“She’s one of those iconic figures that come once in a lifetime.”
“[Ginsburg was] so wonderful and so vibrant and such a hero to every woman in this country,” Schiraldi said.
She said Ginsburg’s work has affected the lives of all women.
“What she did was amazing. If it wasn’t for her, I think a lot of things that women have today, we wouldn’t have,” Schiraldi said.
Schiraldi said it will be hard for any other Supreme Court justice to live up to Ginsburg’s legacy.
“She’s one of those iconic figures that come once in a lifetime,” Schiraldi said.
Like Schiraldi, junior Lina Boudhan, who studied Advanced Placement U.S. Government & Politics last year, said Ginsburg was one-of-a-kind.
“Like any great person, no one will be able to replace her or the role she had in the history of women’s rights. There could possibly be someone who is going to be influential in a different sense, but she is not replaceable,” Boudhan said.
Boudhan said Ginsburg was inspirational.
“She advocated for abortion rights, minority rights and so much more that has changed society altogether,” Boudhan said. “Although people doubted her for being a woman, she tried her absolute best to advocate for rights that certain groups need a voice for.”
Junior Genesis Cedeno said Ginsburg made a major impact through her fight for LGBTQ+ rights, particularly in the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges. In this landmark civil rights case, Ginsburg joined the majority in a 5-4 decision.
“Obergefell v. Hodges made history since it granted same-sex couples the right to get married in all 50 states,” Cedeno said.
Cedeno said she notices the effects of Ginsburg’s advocacy on her own life.
“RBG tirelessly fought for equality and rights for women since the 1970s. Because of her efforts, I am able to attend state-funded schools, be financially independent and marry whom I please,” Cedeno said. “She has [supported] many laws and policies that have made my future in America possible.”
INFOGRAPHIC BY FAIZA CHOWDHURY Sources: Ballotpedia.com, History.com, Oyez.com and The Washington Post
