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Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Many of us know Ruth Bader Ginsburg as one of the strong Supreme Court Justice. She faced a lot of challenges in becoming a lawyer. So let’s look at some interesting Ruth Bader Ginsburg facts for kids.

1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of nine women studying at Harvard Law School.

Harvard Law School has 500 students; nine of them are women. The female classmates were not allowed to use one of the libraries on campus.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg still fought against all the odds to complete her stories.

2. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the first Jewish to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. 

The next in Ruth Bader Ginsburg facts for kids is that she became the second woman and the first Jewish person to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s real name is Joan

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is not her real name. Yes, you read it right!

When Ruth Bader was in school, many girls were called Joan, so her mother, Celia Bader, decided to use her middle name as her first name. 

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4. Ruth Bader Ginsburg played cello in her school days.

Apart from being a baton turner in other things, when Ruth Bader Ginsburg was in school, she seldom played cello.

5. Ruth Bader Ginsburg missed her graduation ceremony because her mother has passed away.

Ruth’s mother passed away just a day before her graduation ceremony. So she couldn’t attend the event to drive with her father. As she grew up, she continued to honor her mother’s memory through her academic excellence and hard work.

6. Ruth Bader Ginsburg married Marty Ginsburg a few days after her graduation from Cornell University.

Ruth met Marty Ginsberg when she was seventeen. They got hitched after her graduation and moved to New York City. Furthermore, they remained married for 56 years.

7. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Marty shared a great bond.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Marty shared a great bond
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband Marty shared a great bond

Ruth and Marty’s relationship was based on partnership and equality. They were like best friends. Besides, they split their cooking, childcare, and housework, with Marty taking a big interest in French cuisine.

8. Ruth Bader Ginsburg struggled a lot when she was pregnant.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg had problems at her workplace when she learned she was pregnant with her second baby. To hide her belly, she wore baggy clothes until her contract at Rutgers University Law School was renewed for concerns about discrimination among employees.

9. Ruth Bader Ginsburg couldn’t find a job even after scoring good grades in her academics.

Even after graduating with top grades, Ruth Gnsburd couldn’t find a job as a lawyer. Instead, she joined Rutgers University in New Jersey as a professor.

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10. Ruth Bader Ginsburg began to fight for women’s equality.

One fine day, her students asked her to talk about how women are treated under the law. Soon, she unraveled unfair practices like working mothers were not given health insurance. Later, this helped her support and fought for women’s equality.

11. Ruth Bader Ginsburg demanded equal pay as other males while she was teaching at Rutgers.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg realized that she was paid less than male professors. Later on, she found out that this thing was practiced everywhere.

So she and her female colleagues demanded equal pay from Rutgers University. And they finally got it!

12. Ruth Bader Ginsburg won a case to allow pregnant women and mothers to serve in the military.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought many cases for gender inequality. Moreover, she won a case to allow women with kids and pregnant ladies to drive in the military.

13. Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought for gay rights and women’s rights.

During her time on the bench, Ruth not only helped women but also helped poor people. Later, she also became a champion of gay rights.

14. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a self-proclaimed terrible driver.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a self-proclaimed terrible driver
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a self-proclaimed terrible driver

Ginsburg was not a great driver. And she was often teased for it by her husband Marty. Sources say that she failed five times while taking the driver’s test.

15. Ruth Bader Ginsburg helped in starting the Women’s Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 1972, Ruth supported the Women’s Rights Project for the American Civil Liberties Union. It is an organization that demands fair treatment for all the citizens of the United States. While working on the project, she won 5 out of 6 gender equality cases in the Supreme Court.

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16. Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a habit of correcting minor grammatical mistakes.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg has a habit of editing her clerk’s writing. She used to correct punctuations on speeches and essays that would never have been published or spoken.

17. Ruth Bader Ginsburg is widely known for her collars or jabots.

Men wore shirts and ties in the court, so Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O’Connor decided to go with traditional judicial robes with their styles and twists. Later, Ruth became known for wearing her “jabots,” or collars.

18. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nicknamed the Great Dissenter.

Ruth was one of the nine justices of the Supreme Court. Most of the time, she disagreed with their decisions and wrote powerful statements. This was her way of dissenting opinions. Later on, she was known as the Great Dissenter.

19. Ruth Bader Ginsburg won an already lost case of Lily Ledbetter

Ruth Bader Ginsburg won an already lost case of Lily Ledbetter
Ruth Bader Ginsburg won an already lost case of Lily Ledbetter

In 2007, Lily Ledbetter discovered she was being paid less than her other male colleagues. However, she realized this very late. Most of the justices in the Supreme Court justices said that she took too long to come to the court.

Thus, she lost her case. But Ruth helped Lily to fight back. She gave her dissenting opinion. After 2 years, Congress passed a law and changed the limits and providence more protection to women.

20. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died when she was 87 years old.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg sat on the chair of the Supreme Court until her death. She died on September 18, 2020, and her age was 87.

21. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was rejected for numerous jobs because she was a woman.

In her struggling days, Ruth was turned down from various jobs after graduating. And the only reason for that was because she was a woman.

Later on, this gender inequality made her focus more on this topic. And soon, she became the champion of women’s rights.

22. Ruth Bader Ginsburg scored good grades during her school and college days.

Ruth Bader was a topper in her class and excelled in school. Apart from this, she also participated in other student activities and earned great marks.

23. President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

In 1980, the president of the U.S., Jimmy Carter, appointed her to the U.S. Court of Appeals.

What is it?

In this, the court hears the lower courts’ cases when people disagree with the decision.

President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals
President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals

24. President Bill Clinton appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Supreme Court.

On August 10, 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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