For my mother Janette an inspiration to all who know and love her
CONTENTS Kiki Balancing Education and Family The Struggle to Find a Job Fighting for Women’s Rights Appointed Judge and Justice Role in the Supreme Court Away from Court Icon of History and Pop Culture Important Dates Source Notes Selected Bibliography Further Reading Index 9 12 17 21 25 29 34 37 42 44 46 47 48
Ruth Bader Ginsburg walks with President Bill Clinton toward the White House Rose Garden on June 14 1993
On a sunny Sunday afternoon in June 1993 Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood quietly in the White House Rose Garden next to President Bill Clinton US Supreme Court justice Byron White was retiring and Clinton wanted Ginsburg to take White’s place on the court Ginsburg was excited about the opportunity She would be just the second woman ever to serve on the Supreme Court The first Justice Sandra Day O’Connor had been on the nation’s highest court since 1981 During the Rose Garden ceremony introducing his selection to the public and the media Clinton praised Ginsburg’s distinguished career as a lawyer and then a judge Over the course of a lifetime in her pioneering work on behalf of the women of this country she has compiled a truly historic record of achievement in the finest traditions of American law and citizenship he said When it was time to publicly accept the nomination Ginsburg thanked Clinton and many others including her 7
