Advertisement

Ruth Bader Ginsburg tributes from Obama, Clinton: 'There will never be another like her'

Tracy Brown
·9 min read
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg in 2019. (Jacquelyn Martin / Associated Press)

As news of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spread Friday, she was remembered as a champion for gender equality by the worlds of politics, business, entertainment and beyond — a spectrum of voices that included former President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Barbra Streisand, Lena Waithe, Tim Cook, Meghan McCain, Jennifer Lopez and Tracee Ellis Ross.

Ginsburg, the liberal justice appointed to the high court in 1993 who more recently won pop icon status as the Notorious RBG, died Friday from complications of cancer at age 87.

Celebrities and athletes joined politicians in sharing their grief and expressing their appreciation for the soft-spoken justice.

"Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end, through her cancer, with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals," Obama wrote on Twitter, posting a link to his full tribute on Medium, where he recalled that she "helped us see that discrimination on the basis of sex isn’t about an abstract ideal of equality; that it doesn’t only harm women; that it has real consequences for all of us. It’s about who we are — and who we can be."

"Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me," Clinton said on Twitter. "There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG."

Writer and director Janet Mock called Ginsburg "a feminist icon and American hero" on Twitter and thanked her for "working well beyond retirement until the very end because our country needed you."

"Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the kind of scholar and patriot you get excited about explaining to your kids," tweeted actress Mindy Kaling. "The kind of person who you say 'who knows, one day you could be HER'. I hope you rest well, RBG, you must have been tired from changing the world."

Ginsburg devoted her career to chipping away at discriminatory laws and policies, inspiring reactions like the tweet from former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams: "May we continue fight for Justice here with her passion, brilliance and extraordinary mischief. Until good is done."

In a statement, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, said, “With an incomparable and indelible legacy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg will forever be known as a woman of brilliance, a Justice of courage, and a human of deep conviction. She has been a true inspiration to me since I was a girl. Honor her, remember her, act for her.”

A recurring impersonation by Kate McKinnon on "Saturday Night Live" helped cement Ginsburg as a part of the zeitgeist.

“For so many of us, Justice Ginsburg was a real-life superhero: a beacon of hope, a warrior for justice, a robed crusader who saved the day time and again," said McKinnon in a statement from NBC. "Playing her on SNL was a profound joy because I could always feel the overwhelming love and gratitude that the audience had for her. It was one of the great honors of my life to meet Justice Ginsburg, to shake her hand, and to thank her for her lifetime of service to this country.”

In 2018, Ginsburg was the subject of both the documentary "RBG" and the biopic "On the Basis of Sex," in which she was portrayed by actress Felicity Jones.

"Even had she not become a Supreme Court Justice, Ginsburg earned a place in history for what she did to win equality for American women," said "RBG" directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen in a joint statement. "When we asked her several years ago how she wanted to be remembered, she said with characteristic modesty, 'Just as someone who did whatever she could, with whatever limited talent she had, to move society along in the direction I would like it to be for my children and grandchildren.'"

Here are more tributes to Ginsburg:

View this post on Instagram

Thank you. We got it from here.

A post shared by Lena Waithe (@lenawaithe) on Sep 18, 2020 at 5:10pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

RUTH BADER GINSBURG. She was a champion for good. We lost a very powerful and fair-minded champion. Bless her soul, bless her work, bless her courage and her vision. Be active! VOTE! This is not a game. Know what’s at stake and VOTE! Up and down and all around the ballot. VOTE! Sending love and condolences to her family and loved ones. I’m so sorry for your loss. I know what she meant to me and I never even met her, so I can only imagine what she meant to you.

A post shared by Tracee Ellis Ross (@traceeellisross) on Sep 18, 2020 at 5:50pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at 87 from complications of pancreatic cancer, the Supreme Court announced. Chief Justice John Roberts issued a statement saying, “Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.” Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993 by Bill Clinton and served 27 years on the Court. She was an unparalleled champion for gender equality, civil liberties and pay equity and inspired countless young women who knew her as Notorious RBG. #breakingnews #rbg #riprbg

A post shared by Katie Couric (@katiecouric) on Sep 18, 2020 at 4:44pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

An indescribable honor to have been in her presence. She never stopped showing up for us. Now we’ll keep showing up to honor her life and legacy. #rbg

A post shared by America Ferrera (@americaferrera) on Sep 18, 2020 at 5:48pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

RIP JUSTICE GINSBERG ⭐️ She utilized EVERY moment of her career fighting for equity. She stood up for us and fought for us tirelessly, regardless of her personal circumstances. Her impact has shaped the course of history and I hope she rests well knowing entire generations are taking up her work⭐️ #RIP #RGB

A post shared by Yara (يارا‎) Shahidi (@yarashahidi) on Sep 18, 2020 at 5:29pm PDT

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.