Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Essay Sample)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg(RBG) is an inspiration to many throughout the world. RBG held a torch high for us to light the way to a better, more fair, and just world for all. Within her lifetime she advocated for women’s rights, gay rights, and gender equality including men's rights within modern society. RBG was the second woman to ever be nominated and confirmed to be on the Supreme Court. Before becoming a Supreme Court Justice she stood before the Supreme Court six times and won her cases five times. Becoming a Supreme court justice allowed her to be widely recognized, and make a greater impact.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's academic performance allowed her to enter Cornell University with a full scholarship. There she met her future husband, Martin Ginsburg, who also was a student. Her husband supported her in her ambitions as she went through her academic career. She later joined the editorial staff at Harvard Law school. While at Harvard she was the first-ever woman on the staff in 1956. She later transferred to Columbia Law where she graduated at the top of her class. The field of law was dominated by males nearly completely. Females were seen as lesser than their male counters “ In the clubby, male-dominated world of upper crust law, Ginsburg was told that she and her eight female classmates, out of a class of 500, were taking the places of qualified males.” This quote shows one example of the oppression of women in America during this time period. She graduated at the top of her class and was unable to find work at a law firm all because of her gender. The only reason that she was able to find any position at the time was with the help of her Columbia law professors, that advocated for her.  “Despite her excellent credentials, she struggled to find employment as a lawyer, because of her gender and the fact that she was a mother.”(Houck). Gender discrimination was common at this time. This continued gender discrimination and oppression of women would later be the driving cause of her advocation for women's rights throughout her career.

During her extensive and accomplished career, she made many strides in women's rights. In 1970 during her early career, she became actively involved in the widespread issue of gender inequality, one year later she published two law reviews regarding gender discrimination. She partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union(ACLU) to draft two cases. These challenged Idaho’s state law that preferred men over women when determining who should assign estates of people who died without a will. The second involved a federal tax code that disallowed single men a tax reduction for serving as caregivers to their families(men’s rights). These actions are best reflected by her saying, “I don’t say women’s rights—I say the constitutional principle of the equal citizenship stature of men and women.”(Ruth Bader Ginsburg) This quote embodies RBG as a figure in the fight for gender equality in America. In 1972, Ruth Bader Ginsburg founded the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project along with creating a case book on gender discrimination. In the same year, she was the first tenured female on staff at Columbia Law school. U.S. President Jimmy Carter appointed Ginsburg to the Supreme Court’s appeals. Through this nomination, RBG was able to Pursue the issue of gender discrimination to a greater degree due to this higher position. While maintaining this position of power she argued in front of the supreme for the right to an abortion but was not the consequent holding in the famous case Roe v. Wade. This case found that women had the constitutional right to abortion and the right to privacy regarding medical choices. Due to her credentials, experience, and relation with the supreme court, after Justice Bryon White stepped down she was on the shortlist of potential candidates for nomination. On June 14 U.S. democratic President Bill Clinton announced that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was his nomination. Her position on the court until 2020 was full of many triumphs in the fight for gender equality. RBG had very strong opinions on matters within the court, for example in the Gonzales v. Carhart case that upheld the partial-birth abortion ban with a vote of 5-4. “Ginsburg decried the judgment as “alarming,” arguing that it “cannot be understood as anything other than an effort to chip away at a right the right of women to choose to have an abortion declared again and again by this Court.”(Houck) Due to outspokenness such as this during the Obama administration, she come to be seen as a progressive feminist. During the Obama administration, she was criticized for not stepping down so then she could be replaced by a Democratic judge while a democratic President was still in office. The concern was that her health would not allow her to continue through another administration. This concern was mainly due to her health record consisting of beating cancer twice.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg died sadly on September 18th, 2020 after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer. She was 87. RBG was placed to rest at Arlington National Cemetery next to her husband. People of a mourning nation spoke out about their relations and meetings of the Notorious RBG. For example, ​​Brian Moote spoke up on an Atlanta radio station about his encounter with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “I remember she was so little but I remember feeling like, 'Wow, what a big human being inside. Such a large presence,'" he said. "My only memory was being completely overwhelmed by how little but big she was. It was impactful."(Moote) RBG had this impact on many people who were inspired by her demeanor and her steadfast confidence. She not only inspired people due to her career but also her religion, she was the first Jewish judge on the supreme court. This attribute inspired many Jewish people throughout the U.S. One of these people was Naomi Shavin, a 5-year-old who wrote to RGB about her position on the court and asked if she had made any mistakes throughout her life. She responded that she had made plenty of mistakes. These actions would spark a relationship that would last into ​​Naomi Shavin's adolescents. Naomi Shavin spoke about RBG’s influence on her and others by saying "The impact she had on young Jewish girls and other little girls, to see someone who looks like them, I think she knew what her impact was," Due to current events, there is an obligation that is felt to discuss certain ongoing at the federal government level. Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped women gain the right to an abortion if they so choose. This right was established in the famous case known as Roe v. Wade, RBG helped win this right for women. The United States Supreme Court has voted to overturn this right, despite finding that it was a constitutional right previously. Actions such as these are destroying Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s legacy and all the work that she has done for women's rights. The U.N.(United Nations) defines a ban on abortion as a form of discrimination because it is a form of oppression, targeted toward women. This and forced pregnancy are both defined as a crime against humanity by the United Nations.