Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at Age 87

What’s the story?

• The Supreme Court announced in a statement on Friday that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at the age of 87 of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was the second woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice, and anchored the liberal wing of the Court throughout her time on the bench.
• Ginsburg was a graduate of Columbia Law School and worked as a lawyer advocating for gender equality and women’s rights before becoming a judge. She was confirmed to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1980, and after 13 years as an appellate judge, Ginsburg was nominated and confirmed to the nation’s highest court in 1993 on a bipartisan 96-3 vote. 
• Ginsburg’s views made her an icon of liberals, and she was fondly referred to as “The Notorious R.B.G” for her cutting opinions in dissent. She authored several landmark opinions during her time on the Supreme Court, including a decision overturning a male-only admission policy at Virginia Military Institute in U.S. v. Virginia.  
• While Ginsburg was a staunch liberal, she didn’t let differences of opinion on legal matters prevent her from befriending the late Justice Antonin Scalia despite his conservative inclination, as the pair dined and attended opera together regularly.
• In recent years, Ginsburg underwent several bouts with cancer and was hospitalized on several occasions. She reportedly died with her family by her side, and she is survived by her two children and four grandchildren.

We’ll have more on what Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing means for the Supreme Court on Saturday.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: Library of Congress Life via Flickr / Public Domain)