In Memoriam - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The AAJLJ mourns the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. A tireless civil rights lawyer who was singularly responsible for the recognition of equal rights for all regardless of gender, tearing down legally-enabled barriers to women in employment, health care, parental rights, education and more, in a remarkable series of cases she argued and won at the Supreme Court from 1973 to 1978, she brought about a revolution in gender equality.

As a Justice she was a champion of equality before the law, reinforcing and expanding gender equality, as exemplified in her majority opinion in the Virginia Military Institute case, and also fighting against limitations on the the right to vote, expanding the right to counsel for indigent defendants, and narrowing the use of the death penalty. Justice Ginsburg became a national icon, particularly for women, who accurately credited her for the remarkable expansion of opportunities for them that resulted from her ground-breaking achievements as an advocate and a Justice.

The AAJLJ was proud to honor RBG as the first recipient of its Pursuit of Justice Award in recognition of her life as the living embodiment of the biblical injunction, “Justice, justice shall you pursue.”

The AAJLJ sends its condolences to her family, and to the community at large, during this difficult time.

May her memory be for a blessing. Jewish law teaches a person who passes on Rosh Hashanah, as well as on the Sabbath, is a tzaddik, a righteous person. We will remember and honor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a Tzaddeket.

Watch Amy Marshak's Tribute to Justice Ginsburg from the 2021 Pursuit of Justice Awards