Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The Feisty Force Behind the Fight for Equality

 
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Feisty Legends introduces fearless trailblazers who have faced adversity with strength, resilience, and unwavering determination—carving their names into history with bold and unstoppable spirit.
Today, we honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933–2020), a woman who fought with brilliance, grace, and fire to reshape the American legal landscape. She is known for her unwavering advocacy for women’s rights and equality.
【日本語要約は下部にあります】
 

A Justice for the Ages

Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately known as RBG,  became only the second woman in history to serve on the highest court. She remained active on the bench until the very end.
It was deeply unfortunate that she passed away in 2020 during the Trump administration, and her replacement was a conservative justice—shifting the court’s balance.
Let’s learn about her life.
 
RBG  Official Trailer

You can watch the full story with Amazon Prime!
 

Brains, Love, and Family

Born in Brooklyn in 1933, RBG grew up in a working-class Jewish family. She attended Harvard Law School, where she was one of only nine women in a class of over 500 men. Despite graduating at the top of her class (at Columbia, where she transferred), she faced blatant gender discrimination in the legal profession.

In 1954, she married Martin “Marty” Ginsburg, who would become a respected tax attorney and law professor, right after graduation from Cornell University. What made her life truly remarkable was not only her brilliance as a legal mind—but also her full, rich life as a wife and mother.

Their marriage was a true partnership—loving, supportive, and deeply respectful. Marty championed RBG’s career, often putting hers ahead of his own. He was one of her fiercest advocates and played a key role in encouraging President Clinton to nominate her to the Supreme Court.

RBG  once said,
“He was the only young man I dated who cared that I had a brain.”
They had two children, and their relationship became a model of equality—at home and in public life.
And let’s be honest—don’t we all want a partner like him?
 

She Fought the Law—And Changed It

In the 1970s, RBG co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU, where she led groundbreaking cases before the Supreme Court. She didn’t just fight for women—she showed that gender discrimination harmed everyone.
 

Landmark Cases as a Lawyer:

Reed v. Reed (1971)
First time the Court struck down a law for gender discrimination.

Frontiero v. Richardson (1973)
Challenged unequal military benefits—called for equal scrutiny of gender as with race.

Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld (1975)
Won Social Security survivor benefits for widowers—proving discrimination affects men too.

Duren v. Missouri (1979)
Fought laws that made jury duty optional for women—arguing it devalued their civic role.

Case by case, she dismantled legal barriers that treated women as second-class citizens.
 

Her Time on the Supreme Court
The Power of Dissent

As a Justice, RBG became famous for her sharp, eloquent opinions—and her fierce dissents.
Ginsburg didn’t just disagree—she dissented with purpose. Her dissents became rallying cries for justice.

In Bush v. Gore (2000), while others wrote “I respectfully dissent,” Ginsburg dropped the pleasantries and ended her opinion with just:

“I dissent.”

Two words. No apology. Just righteous defiance.
Her dissent in Ledbetter v. Goodyear (2007) sparked the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, proving her words could become law.

For RBG, dissent wasn’t about losing—it was about planting seeds for justice to bloom later.

Even while battling cancer, she rarely missed a day on the bench. Her resilience became a symbol of unyielding strength.
She once said:
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
She was small in stature but a giant in influence. She changed the law—and inspired a generation.
She said she wanted to be remembered as:
“Someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability… to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better…”
 

More Feisty Quotes by Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“Women belong in all places where decisions are being made.”

“To those accustomed to privilege equality feels like oppression.”

“I dissent.”

“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.”

Let’s find more supreme quotes here!
 

The Notorious RBG

In her later years, she became a pop culture icon—The Notorious RBG—admired for her strength, wit, and quiet fire.

I used to give my daughters little gifts with her image or illustrations from books about her—hoping they would grow up to be women who, like her, fight for justice.

Theses are our second daughter’s 17th birthday presents.
There are these fun  RBG stickers too!

There is so much more to learn about her accomplishment.
Please visit these sites!
Supreme Court –Biography of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
National Women’s History Museum
『Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life』 by Jane Sherron De Hart

RBG  passed away on September 18, 2020, at age 87. Her death sparked national reflection and debate over the future of the Supreme Court. But her legacy lives on.

We wonder what she would say about America today.
Maybe, from above, we still hear her voice loud and clear:

“I dissent!”

Let’s continue her fight.
Let’s keep her legacy alive.
Let’s Go Feisty!

【日本語】
RBGこと、ルース・ベイダー・ギンズバーグ女史（1933-2020）をご存じですか？彼女は、知性と情熱を武器に、アメリカの法律を大きく変えてきた女性です。1993年にアメリカ史上2人目の最高裁判所判事となり、2020年に亡くなるまで現役で活躍しました。自分自身が法曹界で性差別に直面する中、彼女はひるまず、女性の権利と平等を求め、法律そのものを書き換えてきました。

RBGが真にすごいのは、優秀な法律家であるだけでなく、素晴らしいパートナーを得て、妻として、母としても人生を充実させたことです。夫マーティーは、RBGのキャリアを常に支え、ときには自分のキャリアよりも優先してくれたそうです。うらやましい！
「彼は、私が若いころ付き合った中で、唯一わたしの頭脳をも愛してくれた男性だったのよ」と、彼女は語っています。
家庭内でも社会においても本当のパートナーシップを実現していた理想の夫婦ですね。

彼女は「法の下の平等」を女性だけではなくすべての人のために勝ち取っていきました。

主な訴訟：
Reed v. Reed（1971）
初めて最高裁が性別による法的差別を違憲とした画期的判決。

Frontiero v. Richardson（1973）
男女で異なる軍の扶養手当を争点にした裁判。

Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld（1975）
未亡人のみが社会保障の恩恵を受けられる制度を是正。

Duren v. Missouri（1979）
女性の陪審義務を「任意」とする制度を違憲と訴えた裁判。

Dissentの力

Dissent（反対意見）とは、多数派の意見に対して判事が正式に異議を表明すること。
しかし、RBGのDissentは、それ以上の意味を持っていました。

Bush v. Gore（2000）では、判決に対し、
「I dissent.（私は反対する）」とだけ書き、通常使用する”respectfully”（敬意を表して）を省略。
これが正義への強い抗議として大きな話題に。

Ledbetter v. Goodyear（2007）では、賃金差別に対する反対意見を通じて、
リリー・レッドベター公正賃金法（2009年制定）へとつながりました。
彼女にとってDissentとは、敗北ではなく、未来に希望を残す行為だったのです。

彼女の名言をいくつか紹介します。原文は上記の英語分で確認ください。

「自分が信じることのために闘いなさい。でも、人を巻き込めるような方法で」

「意思決定の場には、必ず女性がいるべきだ」

「I dissent（私は反対する）」

「本当の変化、持続する変化は、一歩ずつ起きるもの」

彼女に関する本・グッズ、日本のアマゾンでも買えますね。

ルース・ベイダー・ギンズバーグの「悪名高き」生涯
”Dissent” Tシャツ

ガンとの闘病中も、ほとんど最高裁を休むことなく仕事を続けたRBG.
2020年9月18日、87歳で逝去。
正義と平等のために戦ったRBG。

今のアメリカの社会状況をどう思っているでしょうか。

「I dissent!（私は反対する）」

天国で彼女はそう言っているのではないでしょうか。

私たちは、彼女の闘いと精神を受け継いでいかなくては。
さあ、今日も元気に
Let’s Go Feisty!