RBG

RBG—SEE THIS MOVIE! 

Whether or not you are a fan of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg or not, I highly recommend this movie.

Its a fascinating documentary about a fascinating woman. I learned details of her life that I didn’t know, and following her path from being a kid in Brooklyn to her becoming the second woman appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1993, and the now nearly 25 years she’s spent on the court kept me engaged the whole time. I learned more about her, and more about the workings of the court.

What I also appreciated is her solidity, her deep thinking, and her ability to see individuals as well as principles. That she and the late judge Antonin Scalia, polar opposites politically, were good friends, appreciative of each other and opera buddies I found pleasing. Not in the movie, but in something I read earlier was her comment about Clarence Thomas, again someone very different from her in worldview: “He’s the first to send a condolence card or reach out in trying times.” She reminds my sometimes close minded self to keep seeing the human being.

Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a complicated, hard working human being with a passion for law and for human rights. She’s tough, she’s endured a lot and she keeps going, still very active on the court at 85!  She’s nobody’s fool and very human. She was married for more than 50 years, has two children and grandchildren now, who know her as Bubbe. As someone who championed women’s rights, and appeared before the court, winning all but one of her cases, she is well known for her positions, and sometimes maligned by the right, hence the “notorious” label. And yet, there is conservative senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), voting for her confirmation, and 20 plus years later defending her after her ill-advised commentary against then-candidate Trump. “She’s human, she made a mistake, she apologized”.

I long for a return to the respect that she and her colleagues show each other by the general populace and media.

One thing I found very hopeful in this film is the inspiration she is clearly providing to generations of young people, we see auditoriums full of students wanting to see and learn from her, and we also see her talking to high school students touring the court.

I am certainly inspired by this strong, committed woman. She has clearly shown up well in her life, and continues to grow and learn daily. She is rightly famous, and to me an exemplar of a life well-lived.

Famous“>Famous