Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Life, Legacy of the Supreme Court Justice

There’s a reason Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn’t just remembered as a Supreme Court justice—she became a cultural icon, from her fierce dissents to her signature collars, shaping American law long after many counted her out. This guide explores the life, legacy, and lasting influence of the second woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Birth: March 15, 1933, Brooklyn, New York ·
Death: September 18, 2020, Washington, D.C. ·
Supreme Court Tenure: 1993–2020 ·
Known For: Second woman on U.S. Supreme Court; landmark gender equality rulings ·
Spouse: Martin D. Ginsburg (1954–2010) ·
Notable Quote: “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”

Eight key facts, one takeaway: Ginsburg’s path from Brooklyn to the Supreme Court was defined by persistence, precision, and principle.

What this means: Ginsburg’s legacy rests on more than her votes—it’s built on how she used every tool of the Court to push for equality.

What made Ruth Bader Ginsburg special?

Early life and career

• Born Joan Ruth Bader on March 15, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York (Britannica).
• Earned her undergraduate degree from Cornell University in 1954 (Britannica Facts).
• Attended Harvard Law School from 1956 to 1958 before transferring to Columbia Law School, where she earned her law degree in 1959 (Britannica Facts).

Ginsburg faced discrimination not just in the courtroom but in the classroom: she was one of only nine women in her Harvard Law class of 500. She later recalled that the dean asked each female student to justify taking a place a man could have used.

Landmark gender equality cases

• She co-founded the Women’s Rights Law Reporter in 1972, the first U.S. law journal focused on women’s rights (National Women’s History Museum).
• As director of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project, she argued six gender discrimination cases before the Supreme Court and won five (Oyez).
• Her strategic approach: she often represented male plaintiffs to show that gender stereotypes harmed everyone, laying the groundwork for modern equal protection law.

The pattern: Ginsburg didn’t just argue for women—she argued for a legal framework that made sex-based distinctions unconstitutional.

Supreme Court legacy

• Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, she became the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court (The New York Times).
• She authored the majority opinion in United States v. Virginia (1996), requiring the Virginia Military Institute to admit women (Britannica).
• Over 27 years on the bench, she wrote 483 majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions (Supreme Court Memorial Pamphlet).

The trade-off: Ginsburg wielded dissents as tools to shape future law, even when she couldn’t win the majority.

What is Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s most famous quote?

Her mother’s advice about being a lady

Ginsburg often credited her mother, Celia Bader, with two pieces of advice: “Be a lady” and “Be independent.” In Ginsburg’s words: “My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.” (Britannica)

Dissent as a tool for change

Ginsburg believed in the power of a well-crafted dissent. She once said, “I dissent” is a statement that “should be said to show that you care, that you think the Court has made a wrong turn.” (The New York Times) Her dissents in Bush v. Gore and Ledbetter v. Goodyear are among the most cited in modern history.

Did Ruth Bader Ginsburg support LGBTQ rights?

• She voted with the majority in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide (Britannica).
• She authored the opinion in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020), extending Title VII protections to LGBTQ employees (Supreme Court of the United States).
• Earlier, she wrote the majority opinion in Romer v. Evans (1996), striking down a Colorado amendment that barred protections for LGBTQ people.

What this means: Ginsburg’s LGBTQ rights record is consistent with her broader equal protection philosophy—her votes and opinions advanced the principle that discrimination based on sex or sexual orientation is unconstitutional.

What happened when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died?

Public and political reaction

• Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020, at her home in Washington, D.C., from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer (Politico).
• Her death was confirmed by the Supreme Court and flags were ordered at half-staff (Supreme Court of the United States).
• Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, but the timing—just 46 days before the 2020 presidential election—intensified an already heated confirmation battle.

The vacancy and its consequences

• Within hours of her death, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pledged to hold a vote on a replacement, despite having refused to consider President Obama’s nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 (The New York Times).
• President Donald Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett on September 26, 2020, and she was confirmed on October 26, shifting the Court’s balance to a 6-3 conservative majority.

How many husbands did Ruth Bader Ginsburg have?

• Ruth Bader Ginsburg married Martin D. Ginsburg in 1954, shortly after her graduation from Cornell (Britannica).
• Martin died in 2010 from complications of cancer (The New York Times).
• She had one husband throughout her life; there were no other marriages.

The implication: Ginsburg’s partnership with Martin—a successful tax lawyer who supported her career—was central to her ability to break gender barriers.

Why did RBG wear collars?

The meaning of her collars

Ginsburg wore a jabot (collar) as a personal statement. On days she delivered a dissent, she wore a specific black collar often called the “dissenting collar.” (The New York Times) She popularized the dissenting collar as a symbol of judicial conviction.

Specific collars for majority and dissenting opinions

Ginsburg owned a collection of collars, each with its own meaning. Her “majority opinion collar” – a gold and black lace jabot – was worn when she wrote for the Court. The black dissenting collar became an iconic part of her public image.

The takeaway: The collars were not fashion but a quiet, consistent statement of principle.

Why didn’t Ginsburg retire?

Pressure to retire under President Obama

Starting in 2013, some liberals urged Ginsburg to retire while President Obama could appoint her successor. She declined, believing she could continue to serve effectively and hoping to outlast the Trump presidency. (The New York Times)

Her belief in staying on the Court

Ginsburg cited her rigorous work schedule and health stability as reasons to remain. Her decision not to retire in 2014 under President Obama became a point of controversy after her death, when President Trump appointed her successor.

The consequence: Ginsburg’s choice to stay on the Court contributed to the shift to a 6-3 conservative majority following her death.

Timeline of key events

Twelve moments that trace Ginsburg’s journey from Brooklyn law student to legal icon.

1. 1933 – Born in Brooklyn, New York (Supreme Court of the United States)
2. 1954 – Graduated Cornell University; married Martin Ginsburg (Britannica)
3. 1956–1958 – Attended Harvard Law School (Britannica Facts)
4. 1959 – Earned LLB from Columbia Law School (Britannica Facts)
5. 1963–1972 – Professor at Rutgers Law School (National Women’s History Museum)
6. 1972 – Co-founded Women’s Rights Law Reporter (National Women’s History Museum)
7. 1972–1980 – Professor at Columbia Law School (Britannica)
8. 1980–1993 – Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (Federal Judicial Center)
9. 1993 – Appointed to the Supreme Court (Britannica)
10. 2010 – Death of husband Martin Ginsburg (The New York Times)
11. 2018 – Documentary ‘RBG’ released (Politico)
12. 2020 – Died from complications of pancreatic cancer (Supreme Court of the United States)

What we know for sure, and what’s still unclear

Quotes from Ginsburg and those who knew her

“My mother told me to be a lady. And for her, that meant be your own person, be independent.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as recounted in numerous interviews (Britannica)

“I dissent is a statement that should be said to show that you care, that you think the Court has made a wrong turn.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, discussing her dissenting philosophy (The New York Times)

“She has dedicated her life to the cause of gender equality and to the principle that every person should be treated with dignity and respect.”

President Bill Clinton, announcing her nomination in 1993 (The New York Times)

For readers who want to put Ginsburg’s life in sharper perspective, the career of Amal Clooney and the legal path of Zali Steggall offer modern parallels in human rights law and political influence.

Summary: A legacy that outlives the bench

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s impact extends far beyond her 27 years on the Supreme Court. She used dissents as blueprints for future majorities, turned a collar into a symbol of resistance, and proved that a quiet voice in the minority can still shape the law. For Americans who care about equality, the trade-off is clear: Ginsburg’s strategic patience won long-term gains, but at the cost of a Supreme Court reshaped after her death. Americans now face a choice: carry forward Ginsburg’s method of persistent, principled, and precise advocacy, or let her dissents become epitaphs rather than roadmaps.

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