For those of you that don’t know: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, commonly referred to as “The Notorious RBG,” is an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and a champion for liberal rights. Appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993, Ms. Bader Ginsburg was only the second female justice to be confirmed to the court now accompanied by Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. For a brief period of time, while her fellow female justice was being replaced, Ms. Bader Ginsburg was the only female justice on the court causing her to be more forceful with her dissents and earning her a spot as the notorious icon she is.
Earlier this year, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was involved in the Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission ruling where the court ruled in favor of the baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of two Supreme Court Justices to vote against the ruling and made it clear in her dissent that she strongly disagreed. However, despite the disappointing outcome from that case, Ginsburg believes that there is a new case working its way through the lower courts that has the potential to be the Supreme Court’s next big ruling on gay rights and religious freedom.
In an interview with Duke Law Professor Neil S. Siegel on August 1st, Justice Bader Ginsburg said:
“After the Masterpiece Cakeshop case came down, we remanded another case, the case of a florist who refused to supply flowers for same-sex weddings. That case doesn’t have anything like what was present in the Colorado case; that is, the suspicion that two of the commissioners were hostile to religion. There’s none of that in the florist case. So we will see.”
Meaning that since this is a similar case with different parameters regarding religious freedom, there is a chance that this upcoming ruling can pave the way for a more inclusive law. Justice Bader Ginsburg also recently stated that although she is 85, she plans on living and staying on the Supreme Court for another 5 years. Her persistence and dedication to the betterment of this country and the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in nation-wide laws show that Justice Bader Ginsburg lives up to her reputation.
h/t: bustle.com, kveller.com, thewashingtonpost.com