Colleagues, friends and San Jose State supporters of late Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remembered her for the strides she made for women’s rights and social justice during a Zoom memorial Tuesday.
Ginsburg was confirmed to the U.S. Supreme Court on Aug. 3, 1993 and served until she died from pancreatic cancer complications at the age of 87 on Sept. 18, 2020, according to a March 24, 2021 History article.
The event was co-sponsored by the SJSU Jewish Studies Program and other local organizations, according to an Oct. 12 SJSU Newsroom post.
SJSU President Mary Papazian spoke at the memorial and said Ginsburg’s work left a lasting societal legacy.
“I do not believe I’m alone when I say that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is near the top list of women who I’ve admired and learned from over the span of my lifetime,” Papazian said. “Justice Ginsburg was an extraordinary woman who never allowed barriers to get in the way of the professional and societal progress that she was determined to make.”
Ginsburg served on the Supreme Court during pivotal cases for equal rights including the Ledbetter vs. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. case in 2007 which ended in a 5-4 decision.
The court determined employees could not challenge ongoing pay discrimination past the statute of limitations period. Ginsburg argued that pay disparities are often much harder to identify than other types of discrimination. Less than two years later, the Lilly Ledbetter Pay Act of 2009 was signed into law by former President Barack Obama, according to a Sept. 23, 2020 Forbes article.
The pay act recognizes wage discrimination and discriminatory compensation, according to a April 29, 2014 webpage from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commision.
Dorit Beinisch, a friend of Ginsburg and first woman president of the Israel Supreme Court who served from Sept. 14, 2006 to Feb. 28, 2012, said she didn’t only love Ginsburg, she admired her.
Beinisch began a professional and friendly relationship with Ginsburg when she was a guest for U.S Chief Justice Robert, who started his service on Sept. 29, 2005.
“We found a common language, we shared values and views,” Beinisch said. “[The connection] was instant.”
Alison Brunner, lawyer and CEO of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, said Ginsburg was a trailblazer who inspired her as a female lawyer, which is why she dedicated her career to Ginsburg.
“I didn’t know [of] her at the time but I certainly benefited from everything she had done,” Brunner said during the memorial. “I have stood on the shoulders of giants, of women who are fearless and working for gender equality in the years before it [affected] me.”
Brunner said Ginsburg inspired her as a Jewish woman because Ginsburg embodied the Jewish values of Tikkun Olam.
Tikkun Olam is a Jewish concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world. It’s often used when discussing issues of social policy, ensuring a safeguard to those who may be at a disadvantage, according to the Learning To Give webpage.
Learning To Give is an organization that provides materials and support for educators, youth leaders and families to help develop community advocacy skills, according to its webpage.
Beinisch said she is consistently inspired by Ginsburg’s legacy, which included her fight for women’s rights, for the American Civil Liberties Union and ended with her time on the Supreme Court.
“People should take cases, argue, bring them to court and try to advance the liberal ideas and values they believe in and not give up,” Beinisch said.
