"Dissents speak to a future age."
Image Courtesy of the U.S. Supreme Court
Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
No justice is more visibly committed to civil liberties than this former ACLU general counsel, whose interpretation of the Constitution is informed by international human rights standards and rooted in a concern for the vulnerable and marginalized.
73 years old. Graduate of Cornell University (1954), attending Harvard Law School before transferring to Columbia University Law School (summa cum laude, 1959), where she graduated with the highest grade point average ever recorded. Reform Jew. Married to Georgetown University law professor Martin D. Ginsburg, with two adult children and two grandchildren.
1959-1961: Clerked for Judge Edmund L. Palmieri of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.
1961-1963: Associate Director of the Columbia University Law School Project on International Procedure.
1963-1972: Professor of Law at Rutgers University.
1972-1980: Founder and Chief Litigator of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, and Professor of Law at Columbia University.
1977-1978: Research Associate at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University.
1980-1993: Associate Justice of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In June 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg to replace retiring Associate Justice Byron White. She was approved by the Senate by a 96-3 margin.
United States v. Virginia (1996): Wrote a 7-1 majority opinion striking down Virginia Military Intitute's men-only admissions policy, opening up all U.S. military academies to female students.
Reno v. ACLU (1997): Wrote the majority opinion striking down the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which attempted to ban all "indecent" Internet content.
Bush v. Gore (2000): Wrote a stinging dissent protesting the 5-4 ruling that ended manual recounts in Florida during the 2000 elections and awarded the presidency to George W. Bush.
Tasini v. New York Times (2001): Wrote a 7-2 majority opinion establishing that publishers may not resell print articles in electronic databases without authors' permission.
Ring v. Arizona (2002): Wrote the majority opinion establishing that judges acting alone may not sentence prisoners to death.
Vital Statistics
73 years old. Graduate of Cornell University (1954), attending Harvard Law School before transferring to Columbia University Law School (summa cum laude, 1959), where she graduated with the highest grade point average ever recorded. Reform Jew. Married to Georgetown University law professor Martin D. Ginsburg, with two adult children and two grandchildren.
Career Background
1959-1961: Clerked for Judge Edmund L. Palmieri of the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.
1961-1963: Associate Director of the Columbia University Law School Project on International Procedure.
1963-1972: Professor of Law at Rutgers University.
1972-1980: Founder and Chief Litigator of the ACLU Women's Rights Project, and Professor of Law at Columbia University.
1977-1978: Research Associate at the Center for Advanced Studies in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University.
1980-1993: Associate Justice of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Nomination and Approval
In June 1993, President Bill Clinton nominated Ginsburg to replace retiring Associate Justice Byron White. She was approved by the Senate by a 96-3 margin.
Landmark Cases
United States v. Virginia (1996): Wrote a 7-1 majority opinion striking down Virginia Military Intitute's men-only admissions policy, opening up all U.S. military academies to female students.
Reno v. ACLU (1997): Wrote the majority opinion striking down the Communications Decency Act of 1996, which attempted to ban all "indecent" Internet content.
Bush v. Gore (2000): Wrote a stinging dissent protesting the 5-4 ruling that ended manual recounts in Florida during the 2000 elections and awarded the presidency to George W. Bush.
Tasini v. New York Times (2001): Wrote a 7-2 majority opinion establishing that publishers may not resell print articles in electronic databases without authors' permission.
Ring v. Arizona (2002): Wrote the majority opinion establishing that judges acting alone may not sentence prisoners to death.