US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

Washington, September 19, 2020

United States Supreme Court Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg, widely admired as a champion of justice and women's rights, died at her home here on Friday evening due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer, the court announced.

She was 87. She is survived by a daughter and a son, four grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Her husband, Martin David Ginsburg, predeceased her in 2010.

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

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 received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School.

During a long and distinguished career, she held a variety of academic positions at different universities. 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.

IANS adds:

The vacancy now enables President Donald Trump to tap a replacement -- the third Supreme Court justice nominee during his presidency -- that may swing the bench further to the conservative side.

However, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said shortly after the announcement of Ginsburg's death that the Senate should wait until the next president assumes office to fill the seat left by the late justice.

"The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new President," Schumer said in a tweet.

Trump reacted to Ginsburg's death after an election rally in Minnesota on Friday night, saying: "I didn't know that. She led an amazing life, what else can you say?"

Over an illustrious legal career spanning six decades, Ginsburg attained unparalleled celebrity status for a jurist in the US, revered by liberals and conservatives alike, the BBC said in a report.

Born to Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1933, Ginsburg studied at Harvard Law School, where she was one of only nine women in a class of about 500 men.

Toward the end of her life, Ginsburg became a national icon. Due in part to her withering dissents, Ginsburg was dubbed the Notorious RBG by her army of fans online - a nod to the late rapper The Notorious BIG.

Former Presidents, veteran politicians and senior jurists were among those to mourn her death.

Former President Jimmy Carter called her a "truly great woman", writing in a statement: "A powerful legal mind and a staunch advocate for gender equality, she has been a beacon of justice during her long and remarkable career. I was proud to have appointed her to the US Court of Appeals in 1980."

"Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted.

Eric Trump, the son of President Trump, said Ginsburg was "a remarkable woman with an astonishing work ethic".

"She was a warrior with true conviction and she has my absolute respect," he tweeted.

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