In this activity, students can create a narrative biography of a supreme court justice
Texte du Storyboard
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Early Life
"Ruth, remember to always be a lady and be independent."
Top of Her Class at Cornell, Harvard & Columbia!
"My success in law school, I have no doubt, was in large measure because of baby Jane. I attended classes and studied diligently until 4 in the afternoon; the next hours were Jane's time. After Jane's bedtime, I returned to the law books with renewed will."
RBG Argues Landmark Cases!
“I ask no favor for my sex. All I ask of our brethren is that they take their feet off our necks.”
Ruth Bader was born March 15, 1933 in Brooklyn. She was very close to her mother who was a huge influence on her life. Her mother taught her the value of hard work, education and for a woman to be independent.
Federal Court Nominations
"Mr. President,I am grateful beyond measure for the confidence you have placed in me; and I will strive with all that I have to live up to your expectations in making this appointment."
RBG graduated at the top of her class in 1954 from Cornell. She and her husband Marty Ginsburg enrolled at Harvard Law in 1956 and had their first child, Jane. She got onto the prestigious Harvard Law Review. When Marty was offered a job in NY, RBG transferred to Columbia University where she graduated first in her class!
Ginsburg Supreme Court Justice for 27 Years!
"Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn't be that women are the exception."
Despite many law firms refusing to hire women in the 60s and 70s, Ginsburg became a lauded Professor of Law at Rutgers and Columbia Universities. She served as legal counsel for the ACLU and director of the Women's Rights Project. She won 5 landmark gender discrimination cases in front of the Supreme Court in the 70s.
Ginsburg Passes Away, September 18, 2020
"I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has. "
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She served on the court for thirteen years until 1993, when President Bill Clinton appointed her to the Supreme Court of the United States.
RBG served on the Supreme Court for 27 years. Many of her dissents became as famous as when she voted with the majority opinion. Her powerful dissent in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear case led to the Fair Pay Act of 2009 requiring women be paid the same as men for equal work.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg died of pancreatic cancer in her home on September 18, 2020. She dictated to her granddaughter: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."