LEADERS
DIGEST
5 LIFE LESSONS FROM JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG BY ROSHAN THIRAN
In 1956, a young mother enrolled in Harvard Law School as one of only nine women in a class of 500 men. Following her undergradate studies at Cornell, she first worked for the Social Security Administration office in Oklahoma at the age of 21, where she was demoted for becoming pregnant with her first child. When her husband got a job in New York City, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) moved to Columbia Law School and became the first woman to be on two major law reviews: the Harvard Law Review and Columbia Law Review. Despite being tied first in her graduating class at Columbia, RBG faced a tough time finding employment solely on the basis of her gender. The wide-spread discrimination would fuel her lifelong career focused on fighting for race and gender equality. As the driving force for equality, RBG’s contribution to America’s legal system in the 1970s paved the way for the abolition of numerous archaic laws that treated men and women differently.
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Issue 45 I November 2020
Sitting on the Supreme Court since 1993 after being nominated by then-President Bill Clinton, RBG became only the second female and the first Jewish female justice of the Supreme Court. On the bench, she retained the fiery and resolute character that had made her a trailblazer as a young attorney who fought tirelessly for civil rights.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg was renowned for her composure and ability to influence and persuade.
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A ROSE AMONG THORNS
What makes her story even more impressive was her ability to bounce back from numerous personal and professional setbacks as she made her name in the legal profession. Ruth Bader Ginsburg became an icon not only because of her passion and commitment to serve others and take on injustice wherever she found it. She also served as an inspiration to millions of young women through the example of her resolve to keep moving forward and be the author of her own story, regardless of the obstacles she found in her way.
