Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Justice Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg (born March 15, 1933) is a United States jurist. Since 1993, she has served as an Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. She is considered to be part of the "liberal wing" in the current court.

Judicial career

Ginsburg was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by President Carter in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court on June 22, 1993. During her subsequent confirmation hearings in the U.S. Senate, she refused to answer questions regarding her personal views on most issues or how she would adjudicate certain hypothetical situations as a Supreme Court Justice. As she noted during the hearings, "Were I to rehearse here what I would say and how I would reason on such questions, I would act injudiciously." At the same time, however, Ginsburg did answer questions relating to some potentially controversial issues -- for instance, she stated that she does believe that there is a constitutional right to privacy, and she explicated at some length on her personal judicial philosophy and thoughts regarding gender equality.http://www.acslaw.org/views/Bennard%20re%20Ginsburg%20confirmation.pdf The U.S. Senate confirmed her by a 96 to 3 vote and she took her seat on August 10, 1993.

Related Topics:
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit - President Carter - President Clinton - June 22 - 1993 - U.S. Senate - August 10

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During her service on both the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, Ginsburg has generally been regarded as a moderate to liberal judge. Ginsburg has urged a cautious approach to adjudication, arguing in a speech given shortly before her nomination to the Supreme Court that "easured motions seem to me right, in the main, for constitutional as well as common law adjudication. Doctrinal limbs too swiftly shaped, experience teaches, may prove unstable." http://www.dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=127&subid=177&contentid=253356 Ginsburg has urged that the Supreme Court not wholly displace the legislative branches, but rather allow for dialogue with elected branches.

Related Topics:
Liberal - Legislative branches

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Though Ginsburg has consistently supported abortion rights and joined in the Supreme Court's opinion striking down Nebraska's partial-birth abortion law in Stenberg v. Carhart (2000), she has criticized the court's ruling in Roe v. Wade as terminating a nascent, democratic movement to liberalize abortion laws which she contends might have built a more durable consensus in support of abortion rights. She has also been an advocate for the use and citation of foreign law and norms in judicial opinions, in contrast to the originalist views of her good friend, colleague and ideological foe, Justice Antonin Scalia.

Related Topics:
Abortion rights - Nebraska's - Partial-birth abortion - Stenberg v. Carhart - 2000 - Roe v. Wade - Originalist - Antonin Scalia

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Ginsburg was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The condition appears to be arrested or in remission.

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In September 2005, amidst speculation that a woman would replace retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor, Ginsburg told the New York City Bar Association that she felt "any woman would not do" , and that she had a list of names which she did not expect the President to read. She also defended her views on paying attention to rulings from other countries. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050922/ap_on_go_su_co/ginsburg

Related Topics:
September 2005 - Sandra Day O'Connor - New York City Bar Association

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Some notable cases in which Ginsburg wrote an opinion:

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• United States v. Virginia Court Opinion
• Bush v. Gore Dissenting
• Eldred v. Ashcroft Court Opinion

In Bush v. Gore she wrote "I dissent." at the end of her opinion instead of "I respectfully dissent." as was usual; this illustrates her intense dislike for the majority opinion and was unprecedented in Court history.

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