Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Born 1933 · Age 92
American lawyer and jurist; associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1993–2020). Leading litigator for gender equality, longtime law professor, appellate judge, and cultural icon known as 'RBG' and 'Notorious R.B.G.'
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Life & Career Timeline
Born Joan Ruth Bader
Born at Beth Moses Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, to Nathan and Celia Bader.
Older sister Marilyn dies
Her older sister Marilyn died of meningitis at age six when Ruth was about 14 months old.
Enrolls at Cornell University
Entered Cornell University on a full scholarship; active in academics and student life.
Mother Celia dies; high school graduation
Celia Bader died of cancer the day before Ruth's high school graduation; Ginsburg did not attend the ceremony.
Moves to Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Lived in Oklahoma while Marty served in the Army; Ruth worked in clerical positions and for the Social Security Administration (demoted after becoming pregnant).
Graduates Cornell University (B.A.)
Earned a Bachelor of Arts in Government, with high honors and distinction in all subjects; member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Marries Martin D. Ginsburg
Married Martin 'Marty' Ginsburg nine days after graduating from Cornell; partnership would be a major personal and professional support.
Birth of daughter Jane Ginsburg
Daughter Jane was born while the family was in Oklahoma.
Enters Harvard Law School
Entered Harvard Law School as one of only nine women in a class of about 500.
Transfers to Columbia Law School
Transferred to Columbia for final year when Marty took a job in New York; became one of the few students to serve on both Harvard and Columbia Law Reviews.
Graduates Columbia Law School (LL.B., tie for first)
Finished law school tied for first in her class and served on Columbia Law Review.
Clerkship with Judge Edmund L. Palmieri
Served as law clerk to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (1959–1961).
Research associate, Columbia Project on International Procedure
Became research associate and then associate director (1961–1963); studied Swedish procedure and learned Swedish for research.
Joins Rutgers Law School faculty
Hired as assistant professor at Rutgers School of Law; one of very few female law professors in the U.S.
Publishes Civil Procedure in Sweden (coauthor)
Coauthored Civil Procedure in Sweden with Anders Bruzelius, based on research at Lund University; Swedish experience shaped her views on gender equality.
Granted tenure at Rutgers
Received tenure at Rutgers Law School (1969).
Co-founds Women's Rights Law Reporter
Co-founded the first U.S. law journal devoted exclusively to women's rights (1970).
Reed v. Reed involvement (landmark equal protection case)
Volunteered to write amicus brief for Reed v. Reed (1971); the Supreme Court struck down a gender-based statute under the Equal Protection Clause—the first such holding.
Served on ACLU Board of Directors
Member of the ACLU National Board of Directors (1974–1980) and a leading voice in women's rights litigation and policy.
Joins Columbia Law School faculty (tenured)
Moved to Columbia Law School and became the first woman to receive tenure on Columbia's law faculty (1972).
Founding counsel, ACLU Women's Rights Project
Co-founded the ACLU's Women's Rights Project to litigate sex discrimination; began a period of strategic litigation before the Supreme Court.
Argued Reed v. Reed / contributed to early gender-equality briefs
Instrumental in early 1970s litigation strategy—helped draft briefs and litigate cases that established intermediate scrutiny for gender discrimination (landmark jurisprudence).
Becomes ACLU Women's Rights Project General Counsel
Served as general counsel (1973–1980) and litigated several landmark gender-equality cases before the Supreme Court.
First Supreme Court oral argument (Frontiero v. Richardson)
Argued before the Supreme Court in Frontiero v. Richardson (1973), an early major victory in sex-discrimination law (8–1 decision).
Publishes Cases and Materials on Sex-Based Discrimination
Coauthored the first law-school casebook on sex discrimination (1974), used in legal education and advocacy.
Wins Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld
Argued and won before the Supreme Court on behalf of a widower denied survivor benefits, advancing gender-equality jurisprudence (1975).
Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
Served as a fellow at Stanford's Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (1977–1978).
Argues Duren v. Missouri (last case as attorney before SCOTUS)
Argued a challenge to laws making jury service voluntary for women—another step in her strategic litigation campaign (1979 argued; listed here as 1978–1979 timeframe).
Active on legal boards and committees (late 1970s)
Served on boards including American Bar Foundation (1979–1989), ABA Journal Board of Editors (1972–1978), Council of the American Law Institute (1978–1993).
Nominated to U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
Nominated by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit (seat vacated by Harold Leventhal).
Begins service on U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
Served as an appellate judge on the influential D.C. Circuit, developing a reputation as a pragmatic liberal and consensus-builder.
Confirmed to D.C. Circuit (commission received)
Confirmed by the U.S. Senate and received commission for the D.C. Circuit (June 18, 1980); began service on the court in 1980.
Delivers Madison Lecture at NYU Law
Delivered the Madison Lecture offering critique of Roe v. Wade's reasoning (1993) prior to Supreme Court nomination.
Becomes second woman and first Jewish woman on the Supreme Court
Historic milestone: second woman ever appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court (after Sandra Day O'Connor) and first Jewish woman to serve.
Nominated to U.S. Supreme Court
President Bill Clinton announced her nomination to replace retiring Justice Byron White (announcement June 14, 1993 reported by some sources).
Confirmed by U.S. Senate to Supreme Court (96–3)
Senate confirmed Ginsburg as Associate Justice by a 96–3 vote.
Takes seat as Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court
Sworn in and began service on the Supreme Court (August 10, 1993).
Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement
Received the Golden Plate Award in recognition of her achievements (photo with Barbra Streisand at ceremony).
Authors majority opinion: United States v. Virginia
Wrote the Court's majority opinion holding that Virginia Military Institute's men-only admissions policy violated Equal Protection (a major gender-equality victory from the bench).
Authors/joins majority: Olmstead v. L.C.
Authored a majority opinion in Olmstead v. L.C. (1999) concerning rights of persons with disabilities (listed among important majority opinions).
Diagnosed with colorectal (colon) cancer
Underwent surgery, chemotherapy and radiation but did not miss Court service; first publicly disclosed major cancer diagnosis (1999).
Dissent in Bush v. Gore
Dissented in the 5–4 decision that effectively ended the Florida recount in the 2000 presidential election.
Authors majority: Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw
Authored majority opinion in Friends of the Earth, Inc. v. Laidlaw Environmental Services, Inc. (2000) (environmental standing and remedies).
Inducted into National Women's Hall of Fame / Women of the Hall
Recognized for lifelong work advancing gender equality and serving on the Supreme Court.
Authors majority: City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation
Authored majority opinion in City of Sherrill v. Oneida Indian Nation of New York (2005), a significant property/sovereignty decision.
Becomes only female justice after O'Connor's retirement
Following Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement in 2006, Ginsburg was the sole female justice until 2009.
Publicly reads dissents
Gained attention for forceful, sometimes publicly read dissents emphasizing civil liberties and equal rights (e.g., Ledbetter, Gonzales v. Carhart).
Powerful dissents: Gonzales v. Carhart and Ledbetter v. Goodyear
Authored forceful dissents in Gonzales v. Carhart and Ledbetter v. Goodyear (2007); Ledbetter dissent influenced Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act signed into law
Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed legislation addressing pay-discrimination timing issues that Ginsburg's Ledbetter dissent criticized (2009).
Diagnosed with early-stage pancreatic cancer
Underwent treatment and returned to the bench; second major cancer diagnosis (2009).
Death of husband Martin D. Ginsburg
Martin Ginsburg, a prominent tax attorney and frequent collaborator/support, died of cancer; Justice Ginsburg returned to work the next day.
Received honorary degree from Harvard; spoke at commencement
Received an honorary degree from Harvard University (2011) and was celebrated widely by the academic community.
Partial dissent in Affordable Care Act cases
Authored a partial dissent in the Court's decisions on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2012).
Public debate about retirement
Faced public calls from some liberal scholars to retire while a Democratic president could appoint a successor; she chose to remain on the Court.
Dissent in Shelby County v. Holder
Authored a noted dissent criticizing the Court's decision to invalidate a key section of the Voting Rights Act (2013).
Dissent in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby
Authored a strong dissent criticizing the Court's recognition of certain corporate religious exemptions to contraceptive coverage (2014).
Receives Radcliffe Medal
Awarded the Radcliffe Medal (2015) in recognition of lifetime achievement and service.
Publishes My Own Words
Released My Own Words (2016), a collection of writings and speeches co-authored with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams.
Pop-culture prominence: 'Notorious R.B.G.' phenomenon
Gained widespread popular-culture fame as 'Notorious R.B.G.' — a Tumblr/blog and related books/merch elevated her to folk-hero status (fan blog originated during Obama years; exact date ~2013, fandom peaked mid-2010s).
On the Basis of Sex film released; surgery for lung nodules
Biopic On the Basis of Sex (2018) depicting Ginsburg's early career released; she underwent surgery to remove cancerous nodules discovered while being treated for fractured ribs from a fall (2018).
Recurrence of pancreatic cancer
Medical reports indicated recurrence of pancreatic cancer (2019), with ongoing treatments and monitoring.
Dies from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer
Died at her home in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 18, 2020; served on the Supreme Court from Aug. 10, 1993 until her death.
Lies in repose, U.S. Supreme Court; later lies in state at U.S. Capitol
Public ceremonies honoring her included lying in repose at the Supreme Court and lying in state at the U.S. Capitol (Sept. 25, first woman/Jew to lie in state).
Vacancy filled by Amy Coney Barrett
The Supreme Court vacancy created by Ginsburg's death was filled 39 days later when Amy Coney Barrett was sworn in (Oct. 27, 2020), producing a significant ideological shift on the Court.
Key Achievement Ages
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