Revere, State Officials Pay Tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Revere and state officials joined the nation in paying tribute to Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Sept. 18, 2020. She was 87.

President Bill Clinton appointed Mrs. Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in 1993. Justice Ginsburg was the second woman to be appointed and serve on the U.S. Supreme Court following Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Mrs. Ginsburg was a graduate of Cornell University and Columbia University Law School, having begun her legal studies at Harvard Law School.

Following are the tributes:

Revere Mayor

Brian Arrigo

“Our nation lost an icon with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  Her own professional history reflects her personal crusade for equality, as the story is well known of the struggles she had finding her first job despite having graduated No. 1 in her class from Columbia Law School.  Her ascendency to the Supreme Court of the United States represented a triumph in the battle she fought, and continued to fight right to her dying days.  Her legacy as a jurist dating back 40 years illustrates both our nation’s struggle for equality, and also progress toward that end, and she was a pivotal figure in that progress.  Her death will not slow the drive for fairness and equality, and her legacy will inspire generations.  Justice Ginsburg also embodied the civility and respect that too often is missing from our national dialogue.  Her close friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia proved that there can be common ground and dialogue between those of widely differing views of political and legal doctrine.  Justice Ginsburg will forever be remembered as an intense scholar who devoted her life to advance causes in which she fiercely believed and which will have lasting influence on our country and society.”

Mass. Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a visionary and legal leader whose influence on our country transcended the judiciary. As a litigator, she pioneered legal principles on human rights and gender equality that are part of the fabric of American society today. As a jurist, she worked to reinforce and protect those rights. Her passing represents a colossal loss for the United States Supreme Court and our country.”

State Rep. RoseLee Vincent

“The United States lost a true champion of equality with the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. As a woman, I will be forever grateful for the incredible impact she had on promoting equal rights for women, as well as all those who felt they did not have a voice. Our nation will miss this incredible woman.”

 State Sen.Joseph Boncore

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a champion for justice and equity. The loss of such a strong, compassionate leader is deeply felt on the Supreme Court and across our country. The greatest way to honor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy is to continue her work: we must fight for justice in all areas of our country where it is at stake.”

Councillor-at-Large Jessica Giannino

“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the General in the battle for women’s rights, was certainly a force to be reckoned with. Everyday normalities, like having our own bank accounts free from a male co-signer, are among the things that women today take for granted and that RBG fought tooth and nail for. Equality for all. From the expecting mother being able to keep her job, to the husband looking to get on his wife’s health insurance. She was a feminist who discriminated against none. I’m thankful for her groundwork and look forward to contributing to her legacy on Beacon Hill.”

Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino

“I was deeply saddened when the news of Justice Ginsburg’s passing broke.  To my generation of politically-engaged peers, she has been a source of inspiration – the ‘Notorious RBG’ – a sort of 80-something-year-old rock star whose jurisprudence was inclusionary of all and whose opinions (and dissents) us political nerds truly enjoyed reading,” said Ward 6 Councillor Richard J. Serino.  “In addition to her views on equal rights for all people in our great nation, one other thing about the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg that we should all take away and that is too often lost in the divisiveness of politics – from national down to local city politics – is the fact that her best friend on the Supreme Court was the late Justice Antonin Scalia.  Ginsburg was liberal in her thinking, and Scalia was very conservative in his, yet they did not let their opposite political ideologies cause them to hate each other.  Their friendship was one of the last genuine and decent friendships in American government in modern history, and one we should all strive for.”