Gender equality champion Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has passed away at 87, the court announced Friday.
The legal pioneer, who was affectionately referred to as “The Notorious R.B.G.,” served as the most senior member of the court’s liberal wing with a consistent progressive voting record on the most divisive social issues including: abortion rights, same-sex marriage, immigration and affirmative action.
Ginsburg was appointed to the court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. She remained popular, especially among youth and was sought after for many speaking engagements across the country. She was also popular on social media for her famed exercise routine and her fiery dissents.
She was one tough cookie, surviving five bouts of cancer–most recently in early 2020 when a biopsy revealed lesions on her liver, CNN reports. In a statement, she said that chemotherapy was yielding “positive results” and that she was able to maintain an active daily routine.
“I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam,” she said in a statement in July 2020. “I remain fully able to do that.”
Despite her tiny stature, people knew not to mess with Ginsburg as she could write a mean disapproving opinion when she felt that the majority of the court had gone astray.
In addition to being a woman of conviction, she often clashed with Donald Trump. Ginsburg told CNN that Trump “is a faker” and said that he had “gotten away with not turning over his tax returns.”
She later said she regretted making the comments about Trump and he suggested she should recuse herself in cases concerning him but she never did.
Her relationship with Barack Obama, however, was quite different.
In 2011, President Barack Obama singled out Ginsburg at a White House ceremony. “She’s one of my favorites,” he said, “I’ve got a soft spot for Justice Ginsburg.”
The news of her passing will be a hard one for many progressives as it means her vacancy gives Trump the opportunity to further solidify the conservative majority on the Supreme Court and fill the seat of a woman who broke through the glass ceiling at a time when few women attended law school, with a different justice who could steer the court to the right on major social issues.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s loved ones at this time.
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