Feminist bastion of social justice and equality reform, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, died today at age 87 from complications with the pancreatic cancer she’s battled for years. She was a prominent icon in my world since her appointment to the court in 1993. She has always been an outspoken leader in fights against injustice and a true master in the judicial arena.
One of my favorite quotes from RBG was something she said when receiving the Radcliffe Medal in 2015, “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you” (Walsh, 2015).
Ginsburg understood that in order to affect change, she had to have others with her. She fought for those who have been historically disenfranchised and urged others to act and demand change. Her scathing dissent even led to congressional changes in law, most markedly for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in January 2009.
She also knew how to befriend those she was diametrically opposed to (her friendship with conservative justice Antinin Scalia was the subject of a 2015 comic opera). She may have never gained the agreement of some on polarizing social issues of law, but even those colleagues held her in high regard for her knowledge and expertise.
Ginsburg knew the value of social intelligence and how important it was for others, particularly women, to be aware of and use to their advantage. Time and again she spoke through her work (Greene, 2012), be it in majority or dissenting opinions on cases brought before the court. She never allowed herself to be viewed as “less than” because of her gender and rolled with her growing notoriety as her time on the court increased. In 2017, at age 84, her vigorous workout routine was published in The RBG Workout, refuting rumors about her health and fragility and emphasizing her determination to continue serving on the highest court in the land.
Her career speaks to mastery of her craft and to her social intelligence to get there and use her position to rally others. She will continue to be a symbol of justice and inspiration for those facing obstacles of all kinds.
Rest in Power Notorious RBG.
References
ctrl-althea-del. (n.d.). Supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg sticker. [Sticker]. https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Supreme-Court-Justice-Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg-by-ctrl-althea-del/34698194.EJUG5
Greene, Robert. (2012). Mastery. Penguin Books. https://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Robert-Greene/dp/014312417X
Walsh, Colleen. (2015, May 29). Supreme court associate justice receives Radcliffe Medal for her career battling for individual rights. The Harvard Gazette. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/05/honoring-ruth-bader-ginsburg/
Originally published as part of the Full Sail Mastery Journal.
