Ruth Bader Ginsburg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
|
|
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2016
|
|
| Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States | |
| In office August 10, 1993 – September 18, 2020 |
|
| Nominated by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Byron White |
| Succeeded by | Amy Coney Barrett |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit | |
| In office June 30, 1980 – August 9, 1993 |
|
| Nominated by | Jimmy Carter |
| Preceded by | Harold Leventhal |
| Succeeded by | David Tatel |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Joan Ruth Bader
March 15, 1933 Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Died | September 18, 2020 (aged 87) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Cause of death | Complications from pancreatic cancer |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
|
| Education | Cornell University (BA) Harvard University Columbia University (LLB) |
| Signature |  |
Ruth Bader Ginsburg (March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) was an important American judge. Many people knew her by her initials, RBG. She served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until she passed away in 2020. President Bill Clinton chose her for this high position. She was known for her liberal views on the Court.
Ginsburg was only the second woman to become a Supreme Court Justice in the U.S. The first was Sandra Day O'Connor. After Justice O'Connor retired in 2006, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the only woman on the Court until Sonia Sotomayor joined in 2009.
She died at her home in Washington, D.C., on September 18, 2020. She was 87 years old and had complications from cancer.
Contents
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Early Life
Joan Ruth Bader was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on March 15, 1933. She was the second daughter of Celia and Nathan Bader. Her father was a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine. Her mother was born in New York to Jewish parents from Poland.
Ruth's older sister, Marylin, died from meningitis when she was six. Joan, who was 14 months old, was called "Kiki" by Marylin. This nickname stuck because she was a "kicky baby."
When Joan started school, her mother Celia noticed there were many girls named Joan in her class. To avoid confusion, Celia suggested the teacher call her daughter by her middle name, Ruth.
The Bader family belonged to a Jewish synagogue. There, Ruth learned about her faith and the Hebrew language. She also went to a Jewish summer camp called Camp Che-Na-Wah. She was a camper from age four and later a counselor until she was eighteen.
Ruth's mother, Celia, was very involved in her daughter's education. She often took Ruth to the library. Celia had been a good student but could not go to college. She wanted Ruth to get a good education. Celia hoped Ruth would become a high school history teacher. Ruth went to James Madison High School. Her mother struggled with cancer during Ruth's high school years. Celia died the day before Ruth graduated.
Education and Law School
Ruth Bader went to Cornell University in New York. She graduated with a degree in government in 1954. At Cornell, she studied with the famous writer Vladimir Nabokov. She later said he greatly influenced her writing style. She was the top female student in her graduating class.
In 1956, Ruth Bader Ginsburg started at Harvard Law School. She was one of only nine women in a class of about 500 men. The dean of Harvard Law School once asked the female students why they were "taking the place of a man."
When the dean would not let her finish her third year at Harvard while studying in New York, she transferred to Columbia Law School. She became the first woman to be on two major law reviews: the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review. In 1959, she earned her law degree from Columbia. She tied for first place in her class.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Legal Career
After law school, Ginsburg became a professor. She taught at Rutgers Law School and Columbia Law School. She was one of the few women teaching about civil procedure, which are the rules courts use in civil cases.
A big part of Ginsburg's early career was working for gender equality and women's rights. She volunteered as an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She was also on their board of directors and a general counsel in the 1970s.
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She served there until she was chosen for the Supreme Court.
On the Supreme Court
President Bill Clinton nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court. She took her oath of office on August 10, 1993. She was the second woman and the first Jewish woman to become a Supreme Court Justice. She was known as a liberal voice on the Court.
When Justice John Paul Stevens retired in 2010, Ginsburg became the oldest justice on the court at 77 years old.
Personal Life
Ruth married Martin D. Ginsburg a few days after she graduated from Cornell. When she joined the D.C. Circuit court, they moved to Washington, D.C. Her husband became a law professor there.
After their daughter was born, Martin was diagnosed with cancer. During this tough time, Ruth went to class and took notes for both of them. She also typed her husband's papers and cared for their daughter and sick husband.
Their daughter, Jane C. Ginsburg (born in 1955), is now a professor at Columbia Law School. Their son, James Steven Ginsburg (born in 1965), started a classical music recording company. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a grandmother of four. Martin and Ruth celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary in 2010. Martin Ginsburg died from complications of cancer on June 27, 2010.
Health and Passing
.jpg)
Ginsburg had surgery for colon cancer in 1999 and for pancreatic cancer in 2009. In 2018, she was hospitalized after breaking three ribs in a fall. She also had radiation treatment for pancreatic cancer in 2019. In July 2020, she announced she had liver cancer.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away from complications of pancreatic cancer on September 18, 2020. She was 87 years old. Her death happened on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year.
Five days after she passed, the eight Supreme Court justices and Ginsburg's family held a private ceremony. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, her casket was moved outside for the public to pay their respects. She was the first woman and first Jewish person to lie in state at the Capitol. On September 29, Ginsburg was buried next to her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.
Famous Quotes from Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- "You can disagree without being disagreeable."
- "It bothers me when people say to make it to the top of the tree you have to give up a family."
- "As long as I can do the job full steam, I will stay here."
- "Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time."
Fun Facts About Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Ruth was not her first name. She was born Joan Ruth Bader.
- She was nicknamed “Kiki" as a baby because she kicked a lot.
- Ruth's mother often took her to the library. This helped her love learning.
- Even though they had different political views, Justice Ginsburg and Justice Antonin Scalia were good friends. They both loved opera.
- She appeared as an extra in two Washington Opera shows. Once she wore a powdered wig and costume. Another time she appeared as herself.
- Ginsburg failed her driver’s test the first five times she took it!
- In 1965, she hid her second pregnancy by wearing big clothes.
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg was known for her "jabots" or collars. She wore these over her judicial robes.
Images for kids
-
Ginsburg with President Jimmy Carter in 1980
-
Ginsburg officially accepting the nomination from President Bill Clinton on June 14, 1993
-
Ginsburg giving testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee during the hearings on her nomination to be an associate justice
-
Sandra Day O'Connor, Sonia Sotomayor, Ginsburg, and Elena Kagan, October 1, 2010. O'Connor is not wearing a robe because she was retired from the court when the picture was taken.
-
Commissioned portrait of Ginsburg in 2000
-
Portrait of Ginsburg, c. 2006
-
Ginsburg receiving the LBJ Liberty & Justice for All Award from Lynda Johnson Robb and Luci Baines Johnson at the Library of Congress in January 2020
-
A poster depicting Ginsburg as "the Notorious R.B.G." in the likeness of American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., 2018
.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Ruth Bader Ginsburg para niños
