Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Date of Birth: March 15, 1933

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Date of Death: September 18, 2020

Biography

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, born Joan Ruth Bader on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton and served from August 10, 1993, until her death on September 18, 2020. Ginsburg was a pioneering advocate for gender equality and women’s rights, co-founding the Women’s Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in 1972. Throughout her career, she earned a reputation as a principled and determined judge, often representing the liberal wing of the Court with her strong dissents and well-reasoned opinions. Ginsburg graduated from Cornell University in 1954 and married Martin D. Ginsburg the same year. She attended Harvard Law School, where she was one of the few women in her class, and later transferred to Columbia Law School, graduating first in her class in 1959. She faced significant gender discrimination in her early career but persevered, eventually becoming a professor at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School, where she became the first tenured female professor. Her judicial career began when President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. Ginsburg’s work on the Supreme Court included landmark decisions and dissents on issues such as gender discrimination, reproductive rights, and voting rights. She became a cultural icon in her later years, affectionately known as “The Notorious R.B.G.” for her fiery dissents and commitment to justice.

5 Interesting Facts about Ruth Bader Ginsburg

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman ever to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, after Sandra Day O’Connor.

2. She was a skilled opera enthusiast and often said that in another life, she would have been an opera singer.

3. In 1996, she wrote the landmark opinion in United States v. Virginia, which struck down the Virginia Military Institute’s male-only admissions policy.

4. Ginsburg became the first Supreme Court justice to officiate at a same-sex marriage ceremony in 2013.

5. Despite battling cancer multiple times, Ginsburg rarely missed a day of oral arguments or court sessions.

5 Most Interesting Quotes from Ruth Bader Ginsburg

1. “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

2. “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.”

3. “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”

4. “I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”

5. “So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.”

Highest Net Worth Achieved

At the time of her death, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s net worth was estimated to be around $4 million.

Children

Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two children with her husband Martin D. Ginsburg: 1. Jane C. Ginsburg, born in 1955, is a professor at Columbia Law School. 2. James S. Ginsburg, born in 1965, is a record producer and the founder of Cedille Records.