Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Legal pioneer who transformed gender equality through landmark Supreme Court decisions

As the second female U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020) engineered a legal revolution for women's rights. Graduating top of her Columbia Law class in 1959 despite gender discrimination, she co-founded the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU, arguing six landmark gender equality cases before the Supreme Court between 1973-1976.

Her majority opinion in United States v. Virginia (1996) struck down the Virginia Military Institute's male-only policy, establishing that gender-based discrimination violates the 14th Amendment. Ginsburg's blistering dissents in cases like Ledbetter v. Goodyear (2007) directly influenced the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

The Brooklyn-born jurist became a cultural icon (Notorious RBG) through her rigorous workout routines and dissenting collar accessories. Even after battling cancer four times, Ginsburg served until her death at 87, leaving an indelible mark on reproductive rights, voting protections, and LGBTQ+ equality.