Senate Resolution No. 3336
BY: Senator STEWART-COUSINS
CELEBRATING the life and legacy of revered United
States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a
tireless and resolute champion of justice and
leading litigator for women's rights
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body, representing the people of the State
of New York, is moved this day to pay tribute to an eminent woman of
indomitable faith and dedication whose public service and countless
accomplishments will forever stand as a paradigm and inspiration for
others; and
WHEREAS, It is with profound sorrow and deep regret that this
Legislative Body records the passing of The Honorable Ruth Bader
Ginsburg, noting the significance of her purposeful life and triumphs;
and
WHEREAS, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a legal pioneer for gender equality
who became the second woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court,
died on Friday, September 18, 2020, at the age of 87; she will become
the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state at the
Capitol building in Washington, D.C., and will then join 13 other
Supreme Court justices buried in America's most hallowed resting place,
Arlington National Cemetery; and
WHEREAS, Born to Nathan and Celia (Amster) Bader on March 15, 1933,
in Brooklyn, New York, Ruth Bader grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood
essentially as an only child; her older sister died of meningitis at the
age of six when Ruth was just 14 months old; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Bader earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell
University where she met her husband, Martin David Ginsburg, whom she
married in 1954; she became a mother before starting law school at
Harvard University, eventually transferring to Columbia Law School and
graduating joint first in her class; and
WHEREAS, Upon the completion of her studies, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
entered academia, serving as a Professor at Rutgers Law School and
Columbia Law School teaching civil procedure as one of the few women in
her field; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent much of her illustrious legal
career, which traversed more than four decades, as a staunch advocate
for gender equality and women's rights, winning many arguments before
the Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, This extraordinary woman was instrumental in launching the
Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU),
where she served as General Counsel from 1973-1980, and on its National
Board of Directors from 1974-1980; and
WHEREAS, In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the United
States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where she
served until her appointment to the Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Nominated in June of 1993 by President Bill Clinton, Ruth
Bader Ginsburg began her tenure as Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court of the United States on the first Monday of October 1993, taking a
seat behind the same bench she had previously stood before, arguing
cases which went on to become legal landmarks; and
WHEREAS, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's preeminent goal to persuade the
Supreme Court that the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection
applied not only to racial discrimination but to sexual discrimination
as well, became a reality and a moment of personal triumph when nearly
20 years after making her last argument before the Supreme Court, she
announced the court's majority opinion in a 1996 discrimination case
involving the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington; by a lopsided
seven to one, the court found the all-male admissions policy of a
state-supported military college was unconstitutional; and
WHEREAS, Later in her career, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg received
attention in American popular culture for her passionate dissents,
switching the decorative collars she wore with her judicial robe on the
days when she would be announcing a dissent; she took great care with
her opinions, which were tightly composed with straightforward
declarative sentences and a minimum of jargon; and
WHEREAS, Playfully and notably dubbed the Notorious R.B.G., a
reference to the late Brooklyn-born rapper the Notorious B.I.G., Ruth
Bader Ginsburg's image, her expression serene yet severe, a frilly lace
collar adorning her black judicial robe, her eyes framed by oversize
glasses and a gold crown perched at an angle on her head, became an
internet sensation; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, while on the Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg
authored My Own Words, a compilation of her speeches and writings; and
WHEREAS, Today, more than ever, women starved for models of female
influence, authenticity, dignity and voice will continue to hold up this
powerhouse octogenarian justice as the embodiment of hope for an
empowered future; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her sister, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was
predeceased by her beloved husband in 2010; she is survived by her two
children, Jane Carol Ginsburg (George Spera) and James Steven Ginsburg
(Patrice Michaels); four grandchildren, Paul Spera (Francesca Toich),
Clara Spera (Rory Boyd), Miranda Ginsburg and Abigail Ginsburg; two
step-grandchildren, Harjinder Bedi and Satinder Bedi; and one
great-grandchild, Lucrezia Spera; and
WHEREAS, Through her profound words of wisdom as both a litigator
and strategist, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's judicial legacy will shine on
through the countless lives she touched; her insight, bravery and
strength will forever serve as a beacon of love and hope for her family,
friends, and all who were privileged to have known and loved such an
amazing woman; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
celebrate the life and legacy of revered United States Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and expressing its deepest condolences to
her family; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
