Rip RBG

[OldPhiKap]

There's a story resurfacing about how RBG, as one of 9 women in a 500 person Harvard Law School that had only recently begun admitting any women, was brought before the Dean who asked her how she could justify taking up a place that should go to a man. As icons of civil rights like John Lewis and gender equality like RBG pass, I do my best to reflect on the America they came up in and helped change for the better. The level of discrimination codified in our legal system and practiced in our culture was immense and stupefying for most of our nation's history and RBG, on the issue of gender equality (as a man, she made the law more equitable for me, too), changed a system that didn't want to see her educated, didn't want to pay her the same wages for the same work, and in many meeting rooms didn't think she as a women even belonged.

That ability to navigate a world that mostly thinks of you as unequal and bend it to your will to make it more equal through shear effing smarts and willpower deserves our reflection, even if you find yourself on the other side of the political aisle. She was a towering figure that led an epic American life filled with tragedy and triumph and did it all with more grace and goodwill than I can muster on most trips to the grocery store. RIP, RBG.

Incredibly well-said, as always. I can’t improve on it.

Regardless of your views on RBG’s judicial philosophy and rulings, you have to admire her story and character.

Rest well, Justice G.

[Jim3k]

Very few have the perseverance and skill that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg provided to the world. As one who spent 44 years in the law, 34 in judging, I know something of the strength she needed, though never could have measured up to her proficiency, much less her achievements.

Her departure leaves a big void which cannot be filled. That void is largely in my heart, but also the heart of the nation and the heart of the profession. Some people leave a positive legacy when they pass. Her legacy is far more than simply positive; her accomplishments are immeasurable. Yes, she was a model for young women. But she was more. She was a great legal thinker, a great writer and a great force for juridical honesty. No one was better at blending all of those skills than she.

I will miss her. So will many others.

[Phredd3]

Words fail me, but I have to express my sadness at her passing. To call her an icon somehow seems to come up short. She was unique and groundbreaking, and her passing hurts the nation. I'm depressed to see the political fight dominate the airways before we can even digest her passing. I felt the same way about her good friend, Antonin Scalia. His passing, too, transcended politics, and he, too, was a groundbreaking figure in his own right. Both were worthy of praise and mourning. I will miss reading her clear voice, whether in the majority or in dissent, and I will miss her good humor and essential humanity that transcended the Court itself.

RIP.