Stetson Law community mourns passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, at her home in Washington, D.C., following complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She was 87 years old. She was only the second woman appointed to the court and served more than 27 years.
Stetson Law was fortunate to host Justice Ginsburg on campus as the keynote speaker for the dedication of the new law library on Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998. During the event, she discussed the history and evolution of law libraries in the United States, the changes in law education over the course of history, and the rise of women in the law profession. Her speech is still available online through C-SPAN.
Ginsburg had befriended then dean Lizabeth A. Moody when the two served on the Women’s Law Fund together in the 1970s and worked on a case challenging the pregnancy policy in Cleveland Public Schools. Ginsburg would become known for her work in gender discrimination litigation and efforts for gender equality.
The Stetson Law community continues to mourn Ginsburg’s passing, with members of the faculty and various student organizations sharing their memories and and honoring her legacy.
Professor Ellen Podgor
“For so many women, like myself, Justice Ginsburg was our inspiration. She was a brilliant jurist, trailblazer, feminist, educator, powerful, thoughtful, and righteous (confirmed by her passing on Rosh Hashanah). She fought the fight for all of us, even when ill and hurting. She managed to keep the issues separate from the people who advocated for those. It is now our job to carry that legacy forward. We need to restore civility in our country.”
Professor Luz Nagle
“While I was in law school at William & Mary, I consulted with the National Center for State Courts as an International Liaison. In this capacity, I hosted the justices of the Supreme Court of Chile on a visit to the U.S. Supreme Court. In addition to being their “chaperone,” I was the interpreter during their meeting with Justice Ginsburg and Justice Scalia. Things became quite lively when Justice Scalia made a comment about the right of women to vote, and Justice Ginsburg took issue with his remark. This led to an animated debate between the two, and it was a real challenge to keep up with them in translating their debate for the Chileans. The interesting thing is that this was a post-Pinochet [Augusto Pinochet, former president of Chile] court, and yet, the justices seemed to side with Justice Scalia. Justice Scalia was a large man with a big presence, and Justice Ginsburg was petite and unassuming. But the power of their minds in one room was overwhelming.”
Professor Christine Cerniglia, director of Clinical and Experiential Education
“Once when I was a law student at Loyola Law School in New Orleans, she was invited to speak, and just the invite to campus caused controversy raised by many conversative Catholics. The backlash was felt before she even stepped foot on campus, and I remember feeling like we, the law students, should speak up and let everyone know we want to hear from her, we want to hear what she has to say, we want to learn from her. I spoke up and wrote into the conservative Catholic newspaper. I can’t remember what I said, but I remember our Con Law and First Amendment professor pulling me aside at church and saying, “good job, proud of you.” The night she spoke, I arrived at the room early and planted myself right in the middle so I could absorb every word. I remember, despite the excitement, you could hear a pin drop when she spoke. She was petite (I’m the same height), and I remember reflecting on her quiet grace, passion and command of the room. As always, her words were carefully selected, and I remember her speech was for us – the law students. She knew her audience and inspired us to follow precedent and carefully study the law.”
“RBG has always represented the values I hold true, to stand up for what you believe in, to use the law to argue rationally, and to use the court system to right the wrongs. To work hard, very hard on the things you deeply care about and to never be intimidated, but instead use grace and strategy to persevere.”
Professor Peter F. Lake, director of the Center for Excellence in Higher Education Law & Policy
As a higher education professor, I instantly think of RBG’s decisive role in the VMI [Virginia Military Institute] case, which assured equal rights for women to access certain forms of adversative military training. This was a big step in helping women overcome stereotypes of being unsuited for certain roles. It also has helped to make America safer and stronger as barriers to highly qualified individuals who seek to defend our country have been lifted.
Professor James W. Fox Jr.
Tie I am teaching in today, honoring RBG (Contracts class, not Con Law, but still) pic.twitter.com/XZIecwHAWL
— Jamie Fox (@whatlawfoxsays) September 19, 2020
Stetson Law student organizations took to social media for their tributes to the legal titan.
Photo Archives
Additional photos from the September 1998 law library dedication where Justice Ginsburg was the keynote speaker.
Post date: Sept. 24, 2020
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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