Campaign Legal Center Remembers Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Fighter for Equality

Paul Smith, vice president, litigation and strategy at Campaign Legal Center (CLC), released the following statement:

“We are saddened by the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, an inspirational figure who rose to the top of the legal profession with strong convictions and unwavering determination. Ginsburg’s enduring legacy is that she was a trailblazer who stood up for equality in all its forms. She upheld our democracy and its ideals, repeatedly standing with voters seeking to exercise their rights and litigants seeking to remove discriminatory barriers standing in their way.

Ginsburg’s passing comes at a critical moment when American democracy is at risk from actors who seek to undermine the legitimacy of elections and use the legal system to disenfranchise voters. Without Ginsburg’s steady presence on the court, voting rights advocates will have to work twice as hard to protect elections and ensure they are free and fair. We will do so in her memory.

Ginsburg was so passionate about her job that every detail mattered. I remember arguing a case after she joined the court in the 1990s and being scolded by her for misunderstanding a fine point of civil procedure. But then, just a few years later, she showed her kindness when I got the chance to argue the landmark gay rights case, Lawrence v. Texas. I’ll never forget how she helped with a softball question when she thought I needed to be rescued from cross-examination by her good friend, but ideological opposite, Justice Antonin Scalia. Her friendship with Scalia said a lot about her character and about relationships in the legal profession more generally: you don’t always have to agree to get along.”