Supreme Court honors Ginsburg 2 1/2 years after death: ‘She revered the rule of law’
Kaelan Deese
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The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wrote landmark opinions paving the way for women’s equal pay and fairer treatment across the nation, was honored during ceremonies Friday at the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg’s 27 years on the high court were the subject of celebration by people who worked as former law clerks for the second female justice, whose death in 2020 ushered in a new era of the 6-3 Republican-appointed majority after then-President Donald Trump named Justice Amy Coney Barrett as her successor. The event was attended by judges, attorneys, professors, and all justices on the nine-member bench.
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Justice Department Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar, who clerked for Ginsburg, gave opening remarks about the justice, saying she “championed equal justice for all persons” and “fought every day to fulfill this nation’s promise.” Her speech was followed by tributes from two judges, one state court justice, and two professors who also clerked for Ginsburg.
“I am speaking on behalf of the Supreme Court Bar, but also because Justice Ginsburg is the person who moved my admission to this Bar and is one of the first people who encouraged me to apply for a job in the SG’s office,” Prelogar said.
Before becoming a judge, Ginsburg was a leading advocate for women’s rights and won five of the six cases she argued before the Supreme Court in the 1970s. She was appointed to the high court by then-President Bill Clinton in 1993.
“She revered the rule of law and the Constitution. The court and this country are forever honored by her service,” Prelogar added.
In addition to weighing on consequential decisions such as Bush v. Gore, one of her most notable opinions was in United States v. Virginia, in which the 7-1 ruling struck down the Virginia Military Institute’s traditional male-only admission policy.
Ginsburg’s death happened less than two months before the 2020 election, allowing time for Trump to fill the liberal justice’s seat with Barrett, which cemented the 6-3 Republican-appointed majority. Two years later, the court voted to overturn a case Ginsburg backed during her time, Roe v. Wade, which led to a wave of states creating laws severely limiting and restricting abortion access.
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A special session of the Supreme Court was held in Ginsburg’s honor after the ceremony, with attendees including Prelogar, Attorney General Merrick Garland, and Chief Justice John Roberts.
Attendance for the Friday memorial sitting and meeting of the Bar was by invitation only.