"Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you."
-Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

The Chicago Bar Association mourns the passing of one of our nation’s most erudite legal minds, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Supreme Court Justice. Justice Ginsburg established herself as a fierce champion in the fight for women’s rights and equality. 

A hero to many, Justice Ginsburg led by example. She experienced discrimination as a scholastically brilliant student who was pursuing her education while being a wife and a mother. Like so many women, she managed to persevere and excel, even with discrimination, becoming the first female member of Harvard’s Law Review. 

Despite her extraordinary academic achievements, Justice Ginsburg faced employment discrimination based on her gender. She turned that test into a testament of legal prowess, arguing cases on gender inequality, civil rights, and reproductive rights before the U.S. Supreme Court so that other women would not endure the injustices she faced. 

Justice Ginsburg was only the second woman on this nation’s highest court. She became a cultural icon and hero to many; she will be missed. However, the fight for equal rights and equality must go on. Justice Ginsburg would want that. The burden falls to all us here to continue the fight for liberty, justice, and equality for all.