Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg March 15, 1933 – Sept. 18, 2020. Courtesy/biography.com

U.S. SUPREME COURT News:

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died this evening surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, D.C., due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer. She was 87 years old.

Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Clinton in 1993. She was the second woman appointed to the Court and served more than 27 years.

She is survived by her two children: Jane Carol Ginsburg (George Spera) and James Steven Ginsburg (Patrice Michaels), four grandchildren: Paul Spera (Francesca Toich), Clara Spera (Rory Boyd), Miranda Ginsburg, Abigail Ginsburg, two step-grandchildren: Harjinder Bedi, Satinder Bedi, and one great-grandchild: Lucrezia Spera. Her husband, Martin David Ginsburg, died in 2010.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. said of Justice Ginsburg: “Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. 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.” 

Justice Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School.

She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, from 1959–1961. From 1961–1963, she was a research associate and then associate director of the Columbia Law School Project on International Procedure. She was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law from 1963–1972, and Columbia Law School from 1972–1980, and a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California from 1977–1978.

In 1971, she was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel from 1973–1980, and on the National Board of Directors from 1974–1980. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980.

During her more than 40 years as a Judge and a Justice, she was served by 159 law clerks.

While on the Court, the Justice authored My Own Words (2016), a compilation of her speeches and writings.

A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.

Officials issue statements on the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg:

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a titan of justice. She was a trailblazing force who used her unmatched talents for immeasurable good. She is irreplaceable. Jill and I join the nation in mourning this devastating loss. Justice Ginsburg was a friend to us – and an icon of righteousness for the nation. She inspired us all, but her legacy shines especially bright for the countless women and girls across the nation and world who now proudly walk in her footsteps. Justice Ginsburg fought for fairness above all—for a nation that lives true to its principles—and she brought us ever closer to that ideal. At this moment of anguish for the nation, it is only right that we honor Justice Ginsburg’s last wishes. As she said: ‘My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.’ I am appalled that Republican Majority Leader McConnell has already vowed to betray that wish—and his own precedent—the same day that Justice Ginsburg passed. Jill and I send our deepest condolences to Justice Ginsburg’s loved ones–and to all in New Mexico and across the country who are heartbroken tonight.” –U.S. Sen. Tom Udall

“I am filled with gratitude for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s extraordinary life that inspired America. For over a quarter of a century, she served on our nation’s highest court with conviction and intellect, inspiring generations of women and young girls to stand firm in their fight for equality. Justice Ginsburg was a champion for women – and all Americans – and an icon whose legacy will endure. It is absolutely critical that we honor the final wishes of Justice Ginsburg and fill her seat only after the next president is inaugurated. With just weeks before the presidential election, we must let the American people decide when they cast their ballots in November. In fact, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set a precedent for this very situation. I will commit to holding the Majority Leader and all Senate Republicans accountable to their own standard. Anything less would be hypocrisy at its worst and a grave injustice to the American people.” –U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

“I’m deeply saddened by the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg and join our country in mourning her loss. Justice Ginsburg was an extraordinary jurist, a sharp dissenter, and an inspiration to millions of Americans. She has left an indelible mark on our nation through her groundbreaking work on the Court, and her legacy will live on through her sound and just decisions. My thoughts and prayers are with the Ginsburg family during these difficult moments.” –U.S. House Assistant Speaker Ben Ray Luján

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American hero who throughout her prolific career as a lawyer and jurist evinced the best of our country’s founding ideals. She charted and herself lived an American course toward equal representation and empowerment for women. She was a champion of civil rights. I mourn — as our nation mourns — her death. The fight for equal rights, for equal representation, for genuine and meaningful equality under the law will go on in her absence, never without the strength and vision and fairness she delivered to that foundational cause. Her legacy will live in the ongoing battle for the wholesale elimination of discrimination, of hate, of brutality in the American way of governance and life. I am praying right now for her family and loved ones. The American promise of equal justice under the law depends upon a United States Supreme Court that is above all respectful of precedent and our Constitution. Justice Ginsburg’s life should serve as a reminder of that all-important truth. Rest in power.” –Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

“America has painfully lost a true champion for equal rights, a giant who as a lawyer shaped the law to protect those most vulnerable and as a jurist who ensured fairness and justice for all.” –Attorney General Hector Balderas

“Today we lost a champion for so many New Mexicans and Americans. People across our nation are remembering and honoring Justice Ginsburg’s long legacy of principled leadership and distinguished service. We expect that Republicans in the Senate will honor Justice Ginsberg’s wishes and remain consistent with their own past principles by refraining from appointing another justice to her seat until a new president is in place.” –DPNM Chair Marg