A wise woman once said, “No door should be closed to people willing to spend the hours of effort needed to make dreams come true.” That woman was none other than Joan Ruth Bader, famously known as Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG).

She lived that truth out till the day she died, while she served as the second female, but the first Jewish female, appointed as a Supreme Court justice. For 27 years, RBG remained incredibly faithful to the courts and law.  

Fighting for gender equality she relentlessly worked to obtain equal pay, less discrimination, and the right for abortion. That might not seem like much, but living through the ‘70s and ‘80s she was very ahead of her time, in a reality where gender norms weren’t questioned very much. 

Similarly, in RBG’s words, “For most girls growing up in the ’40s, the most important degree was not your B.A., but your M.R.S.” 

That meant that women were not expected to go to a college or university for education purposes but simply to find a spouse.
Ginsburg was really just lucky in that department when she met her future husband Martin Ginsburg at Cornell University. When they were both schooling at Harvard, he fell very ill with testicular cancer during a year of schooling and she covered for his class while he was away, while maintaining her top of the class title. 

She graduated from a class of nine women among 491 men. 

After graduating, believe it or not, RBG struggled to find a job. Before her famous Supreme Court rule she worked at many law firms, and became a professor at Rutgers University, and even founded the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union (WRP) that educated and advocated for women’s rights. 

It was then in 1993 that she was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the Supreme Court after serving for the U.S Court of Appeals for 13 years. 

Many dissents and cases later, she earned the respect of so many Americans. Her strength in her opinions and words was the pinpoint of her character. She unapologetically stood up to the injustices in the world and the men that overtook it. 

“I am inspired by her tenacity and how she fought for things even if it wasn’t the popular opinion or outlook,” English teacher Mrs. Franke said. 

Some of RBG’s landmark cases were Obergefell vs. Hodge, which took part in the legalization of same-sex marriage, and United States vs. Virginia, that fought for women to be able to admit into an all-male college where they were previously restricted from because of their sex and ability. 

“We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice,” Chief Justice, John Roberts said.

She fought endlessly from topics anywhere from sex discrimination, equality, abortion, and equal pay. 

She was so dedicated to the court that her husband, Martin, had to drag her home for dinner and eventually to bed each night. 

At one point a law student even jokingly nicknamed her the Notorious RBG after the rapper B.I.G, but she ended up embracing it. And from this point forward she is still remembered for the seemingly silly name.

She died from the wrath of metastatic pancreatic cancer on Sept. 18 but Ruth lived an amazing life of 87 years. ‘We The People’ thank her for the amazing work she has done to make our world just a little bit better of a place.

Rest in Power Ruth.