Celebrating the Life of RBG
A tribute to the life, career and accomplishments of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Members of the Laguna community share reflections of RBG’s significance both personally and historically.
December 1, 2020
Ginsburg was born and raised in Brooklyn, the daughter of immigrants. She attended Cornell, Harvard, and Colombia, studying law and earning her Bachelor of Arts in government.
She began with a scholarship at Cornell, where she met her future husband Martin. R Ginsburg. They had two children together, James and Jane.
Ginsburg moved on to Harvard, where she was but one of eight women in her 500 person class.
Ginsberg was the first female member of the esteemed Harvard Law Review, which she managed while caring for her young daughter and attending her husband’s classes while he recovered from testicular cancer.
Ginsburg graduated from Colombia in 1959 at the top of her class, and would later become the first tenured female professor at the university.
Thus she began her journey to become the second female member of the Supreme Court.
In 1993, Ginsburg was nominated to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton with a sweeping 96-3 confirmation vote by the Senate.
Over her 27 years as a Justice, Gins-burg led the fight for many essential cases that have forever changed the political world as we know it.
Ginsburg died on September 18, due to a complication from metastatic pancreatic cancer.
This loss was felt around the world, and politicians and global leaders from all backgrounds and affiliations mourned the passing of a respected and powerful figure and a role model to many young women.
“My family and I have always looked up to Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She was a trailblazer for women’s rights and saw and led so much progress in her life. She is truly an example of the positive change a single person can make,” senior Kate Spaulding said.
Dena Montague History Instructor
“It is extraordinary to think about how one person did so much to move women towards equal citizenship. In 1993, RBG was confirmed with a 96-3 vote in the Senate.
I hope our Legislature will one day again universally support Justices that believe in the continual movement towards equality.
Right now I am deeply worried about the direction of the Court. But I remain hopeful because of the spirit and passion demonstrated by so many young people determined to carry on the legacy of RBG.”
Victoria Dryden English Instructor
“For me, RBG was a voice of truth in a world that has become increasingly corrupt and polarized, and confusing. I cannot entirely agree with every ruling or opinion that Ginsburg wrote or expressed.
Nevertheless, I applaud her process and her strength in speaking the truth she believed to be just, despite the challenges and the biases that repeatedly confronted her. She spoke the truth, and her truth was rooted in justice. Today, I believe, we are losing sight of those two concepts – truth and justice. RBG defined both with grace and integrity that I would argue have become exceptions to the norm.”
Anna Alldredge English Instructor
“RBG showed me, and so many others, the true art of transformational leadership. As she said, ‘Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.’ For decades, RBG tirelessly led our country in the direction of equity, inclusion, and justice. She believed in the “more perfect Union” of our nation and guided us towards that noble goal for decades. RBG’s legacy is a call to action for all of us to lead with integrity, wisdom, and love. May peace be upon her.”
