Justice Ginsburg: Who She Was, How She Shaped The Law

Law360 (September 21, 2020, 11:27 PM EDT) -- U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday at age 87. Here, Law360 looks at the feminist icon's legacy and the battle brewing over her seat.

Justice Ginsburg sat down with Law360 in 2017 for a wide-ranging exclusive interview.

PART 1: On Diversity And Persuading Her Colleagues

PART 2: On Oral Argument And 'Imperious' Attorneys

With The Passing Of Ginsburg, The Left Loses An Icon
By Jacqueline Bell | September 18, 2020

With the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the court's liberal wing loses her vote, her unique voice in the most politically divisive cases, and her talent for having the last word.


Justice Ginsburg, 87, Dies Of Cancer Complications
By Jacqueline Bell | September 18, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the longest-serving liberal member of the U.S. Supreme Court, died Friday night, opening a Supreme Court vacancy in a contentious election year.


RBG's Biggest Opinions, From Civil Rights To Civil Procedure
By Cara Bayles | September 20, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was perhaps best known for her dissents, but scholars and those who knew her say her majority opinions may better reflect her judicial philosophy, as well as her time as a law professor and civil rights lawyer.


FILLING HER SEAT
Barrett Remains Top Contender For Supreme Court Pick
By Andrew Kragie | September 24, 2020

Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett appears to have maintained her spot atop a short list of U.S. Supreme Court candidates ahead of President Donald Trump's public announcement, conservative sources told Law360.


Dems On High Court Expansion: 'Nothing Is Off The Table'
By Andrew Kragie | September 23, 2020

Democrats are gearing up for another bitter U.S. Supreme Court appointment fight, seeking to delay a confirmation vote until after Election Day and suggesting a dramatic response if they fail to do so but gain power next year, perhaps even a court expansion plan that would change the number of justices for the first time since 1869.


What RBG's Death Could Mean For Election Litigation
By Cara Bayles | September 23, 2020

Filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's U.S. Supreme Court seat has become a political rallying cry as the presidential election looms, but her death could also help determine that election, should November's results spur a battle that winds up before the high court.


What To Know About High Court Finalist Amy Coney Barrett
By Jimmy Hoover | September 22, 2020

With the race to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat gaining momentum, all eyes are turning to Seventh Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the most likely candidate to emerge as President Donald Trump's nominee. Here's what to know about the next potential U.S. Supreme Court justice.


With Romney On Board, GOP Eyes Pre-Election Confirmation
By Andrew Kragie | September 22, 2020

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah — one of the few Republican senators whose support was in question — said Tuesday he would vote to confirm a U.S. Supreme Court nominee this year, virtually assuring the GOP will be able to seat a new justice, likely before Election Day.


McConnell Defends Election-Year Plan To Replace Ginsburg
By Andrew Kragie | September 21, 2020

The Senate majority leader on Monday defended his plan to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this year, while the House speaker said the late jurist will become the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol.


Fla.'s Budding Textualist Star Barbara Lagoa Eyed For High Court
By Carolina Bolado | September 21, 2020

Known as a budding superstar in Florida conservative legal circles, committed textualist Judge Barbara Lagoa could continue her lightning-quick ascent through the appellate ranks if President Donald Trump taps her for the now-vacant U.S. Supreme Court seat, where she would become the first Cuban-American, and first Floridian, to sit on the high court.


Will The Senate Replace Ginsburg Before Election Day?
By Andrew Kragie | September 20, 2020

Senators return Monday to a chamber consumed with President Donald Trump's vow to quickly select a replacement for the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and cement a conservative majority for years to come.


5 To Watch As GOP Races To Fill Ginsburg's Seat
By Jimmy Hoover | September 20, 2020

President Donald Trump has said he will name a woman to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court. Here's a look at five candidates he could pick in the coming days.


AUDIO
Law360's The Term: The Life And Legacy Of Justice Ginsburg
By Law360's The Term | September 21, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is among the few on the U.S. Supreme Court to have etched her name into legal history long before donning a robe. In a special episode this week, Law360's The Term dives into her legacy as a pioneering women's rights advocate with two guests who worked by her side.


In Her Own Words: 4 Of Ginsburg's Strongest Bench Dissents
By Jacqueline Bell | September 18, 2020

As the senior member of the Supreme Court's often frustrated minority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's iconic voice in recent years often sounded in dissent — particularly in politically divisive cases, such as those concerning abortion, voting rights and the Affordable Care Act. Here is some of the most pointed language from those now-classic dissents.


People gather at the Supreme Court on the morning after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)


THE JUSTICE REMEMBERED
Our 'North Star': What RBG Means To Women In Law
By  Michele Gorman | September 20, 2020

Female attorneys around the country say they're devastated by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a woman they looked to as a role model for candidly speaking out about the struggles she faced as a female lawyer integrating her work and family life, which made her a relatable icon.


Birthdays, Weddings And In Between: RBG And Her Clerks
By Aebra Coe | September 20, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death gives President Donald Trump a chance to expand the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority to six, raising employers' chances of winning business-friendly rulings on joint employment, labor rights and other hot-button issues. Here, Law360 looks at four areas of labor and employment law where an expanded conservative majority could make its mark.


HER LEGAL LEGACY
At Rutgers Law School, Justice Ginsburg's Legacy Is Personal
By Jeannie O'Sullivan | September 23, 2020

Decades before the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became a feminist icon on the nation's highest court, her fight for gender equality was evident during her time as a professor at Rutgers Law School, her former students remember.


4 Employment Issues In Play For A More Conservative Court
By Braden Campbell | September 22, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's steadfast support for copyright owners was one of the hallmarks of her U.S. Supreme Court tenure, and her decisions strengthening copyright protection will have a lasting impact on the law, experts say.


Ginsburg Recalled As Court's Strongest Pro-Copyright Voice
By Ryan Davis | September 21, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's steadfast support for copyright owners was one of the hallmarks of her U.S. Supreme Court tenure, and her decisions strengthening copyright protection will have a lasting impact on the law, experts say.


5 Times Justice Ginsburg Left An Imprint On Employment Law
By Vin Gurrieri | September 21, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made waves by taking issue with majority rulings in cases involving fair pay for women and access to birth control, but those dissents represent just a fraction of her output during nearly three decades on the U.S. Supreme Court. Here, Law360 digs deeper into the late jurist's employment writings.


6 Captivating Tax Opinions By Justice Ginsburg
By Amy Lee Rosen | September 21, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's monumental legacy includes tax opinions in which she addressed whether a California corporate franchise tax violates the Constitution, how states can tax citizens and when employment taxes apply to baseball players' back pay. Here, Law360 examines six significant opinions and dissents.


3 Times Ginsburg Led The Way On Environmental Law
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez | September 21, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be best remembered for her fierce support of gender equality and civil rights, but she made her mark on environmental law as well, authoring opinions that established citizens' right to sue polluters under the Clean Water Act and the government's right to regulate cross-state air pollution.


Ginsburg Leaves Legacy Of Due Process For Immigrants
By Suzanne Monyak | September 21, 2020

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday after serving on the U.S. Supreme Court for nearly three decades, leaves behind a legacy of calling for due process rights for immigrants and accountability for law enforcement agencies.


Clerking For Ginsburg
By Law360 | August 13, 2018

What was it like to assist Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Former clerks reflect on their experiences as the justice celebrated 25 years on the Supreme Court in 2018.


IN THE NEWS
Supreme Court Gives RBG Space For 'Essential' Workouts
By Jimmy Hoover | March 31, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been enjoying exclusive access to a private workout space at the court during the coronavirus pandemic, as her doctors have deemed her training sessions "essential to her well-being."


Ginsburg Outpacing Colleagues In Opinion-Writing This Term
By Jimmy Hoover | February 26, 2020

Despite some recent health scares, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is showing no signs of slowing down. The 86-year-old jurist has written more opinions than any of her colleagues in argued cases so far this term, including every single dissent.


In Dissent: Why 2 Justices Keep Spotlighting Career Offenders
By RJ Vogt | February 2, 2020

Twenty-seven times in 27 months, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented from their peers' refusal to take up an issue that's divided appellate courts: Can career offenders use a 2016 ruling to challenge their extra-long sentences? For now, the answer depends on where they live.


Justice Ginsburg Says Firms Can Do More For Female Attys
By Emma Cueto | January 31, 2020

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke at an award ceremony about political incivility and how the legal world — and the United States in general — has failed to grapple with the ways unconscious bias and a lack of work-life balance have held women back.


Ginsburg Says There's Work To Do To Fight Gender Biases
By Dorothy Atkins | October 21, 2019

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told an audience of University of California, Berkeley law school students that gender equity has come a long way since the 1950s, but there is still more work to do in overcoming unconscious biases that unfairly impact women's rights at the workplace.


Change High Court Nominee Vetting, Justice Ginsburg Says
By Lauraann Wood  | September 9, 2019

The country must cut through a period of sharp political divide and stop vetting U.S. Supreme Court candidates by trying to predict how they'll vote on hot-button cases, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said while receiving an award in Chicago.


Ginsburg Warns Dems: Adding More Justices A 'Bad Idea'
By Jimmy Hoover | July 24, 2019

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn't taking the Fifth about Democratic proposals to expand the number of justices on the court to offset its conservative majority, saying such measures would only further politicize the institution.


Justice Ginsburg Says She 'Lucked Out' Of BigLaw Career
By Jimmy Hoover | July 2, 2019

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she "lucked out" in that she became the second woman on the U.S. Supreme Court rather than a commercial litigator after rampant gender inequality in the legal profession in the 1950s and '60s steered her away from private practice.


BOOK REVIEW
Judging A Book: McKeown Reviews 'Conversations With RBG'
By U.S. Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown | November 12, 2019

Reading Jeffrey Rosen's "Conversations With RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law" is like eavesdropping on the author and his subject while they discuss how the restrained judicial minimalist became the fiery leader of the opposition, says Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown.

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