Notorious RBG Visits Notre Dame University, Reminds Us Why We Love Her

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg visits Notre Dame University, talks politics, life, and why all nine Supreme Court justices should be women

It may seem strange, but you could argue that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the first U.S. Supreme Court justice to become a celebrity.

For example: when it was announced that she would be giving at talk at Notre Dame University on September 12, demand for tickets was so high that the University was forced to suspend sales. The line to enter Purcell Pavilion, where the talk was to be held, appeared to be without end. There are multiple Tumblr blogs dedicated to her, and a book about her is titled “Notorious RBG”, a nickname approved by the Justice herself. More than any other judge on the Supreme Court, she enjoys renown and popularity with a large segment of the American public.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is widely hailed as a major legal force of the 21st century. She has become known for her dissenting opinions in many Supreme Court cases; historically, Justice Ginsburg has been in the left-leaning minority on Court decisions and so has had little chance to write majority opinions.

RBG did not spring fully formed onto the Supreme Court, however.  She was actively encouraged in her education by her mother, Celia Bader. Celia had shown academic promise, having graduated from high school at 15, yet could not attend college because her family prioritized her brother’s education.

(Photo by Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

After graduating from Cornell University, Ruth married Martin Ginsburg. They moved to Oklahoma, where Martin was stationed in the Army Reserve. Ruth confronted several barriers in her early career. During the talk, Ginsburg said “I had three strikes against me in ascending order of importance. They were just beginning to accept Jews in the large law firms. A woman? Well, maybe a few firms would take a chance on a woman. But no one would take a chance on a mother.”

“They were just beginning to accept Jews in the large law firms. A woman? Well, maybe a few firms would take a chance on a woman. But no one would take a chance on a mother.”

In 1956, she became one of nine women in her class at Harvard Law Schools, out of a total of about 500 students. The Dean reportedly confronted the women, asking them “How do you justify taking a spot from a qualified man?” After transferring to Columbia Law School, Ginsburg would graduate first in her class.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s story resonates with many contemporary women. While we can’t all be legal superstars, how many of us have been presented with barriers simply because we are women? How many of us have felt rankled by some careless comment, by an insinuation that we were fundamentally unfit for a task, if only because our gender was not “correct” for the job at hand? Watching Ginsburg’s rise gives us hope. If it is possible for a smart, opinionated woman to succeed, and to do so much for her community without compromising her morals, then what might be possible for the rest of us?

Plus, she’s 83 and can do 20 pushups. Not assisted pushups, not the ones where you use your knees. Real, adult pushups. Her trainer also works with Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, the two other female Supreme Court justices. We can only hope this will lead to a female Justice weightlifting team.

Before her appointment to the Supreme Court, Ginsburg spent much of her career advocating for women’s rights and was often involved with the American Civil Liberties Union, acting as counsel and serving on its board of directors. She was also a well-regarded professor at both Rutgers and Columbia Law School. She co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU and was the first woman to be on both the Harvard Law Review and the Columbia Law Review.

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Yet, despite the sometimes divisive nature of the Supreme Court, she managed to remain on good terms with her colleagues. Ginsburg even vacationed with Justice Antonin Scalia, whose opinions were often polar opposites of her own. In fact, her professional and personal relationship with Scalia led to an opera titled Scalia V. Ginsburg. Throughout her career, RBG has maintained a remarkable level of dignity and respect for others, despite an increasingly contentious political climate.

During her talk at Notre Dame, Ginsburg was not asked, nor did she speak, about the current election season. She spent a portion of her time talking about partisan politics and their impact on our political system. For example: when Ginsburg was nominated, her confirmation period took a little over 50 days. This was compared to the ongoing contention over President Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland. Ginsburg says that she was publicly supported by Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch, which she acknowledges would be unlikely today.

UNITED STATES – JANUARY 20: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg arrives for President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address in the Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

She’s also appealing for both her personal fashion choices and all-around snarkiness. RBG is a well-known fan of white lace collars, properly called jabots, which are a good way of punching up the frankly boring judicial robes worn by justices. Ginsburg even has different jabots for different occasions, from a black and gold beaded collar worn when reading dissenting opinions, to a bolder piece worn when she reads majority opinions. It’s enough to make you consider adding a lace frill or two to your wardrobe.

When asked how many women on the Supreme Court would be “enough”, she answered “I’m asked that question a lot — when will there be enough? When there are nine.”

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After pausing for the applause that followed her statement, she continued. “It didn’t seem there was anything wrong in the many years when the Supreme Court had only men.”