Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Our Namesake

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, affectionately dubbed “The Notorious R.B.G.,” served as the second female justice in the U.S. Supreme Court. Her legacy was one of fighting for gender equality—arguing landmark cases like United States v. Virginia, directing the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project, and inspiring the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Her passionate dissents and unwavering beliefs on intersectional equity inspired generations of change-making feminists.

Justice Ginsburg was also the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court. Knowing discrimination firsthand, she championed rights for marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community, women, and the poor. Her inclusive stances promoted equity above all—shaping society to surpass tolerance and embrace diversity. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s incredible legacy inspired the Oscar-nominated documentary On the Basis of Sex, which details her accounts of combating sex-based discrimination when she was an attorney.

Justice Ginsburg’s popularity only continued to grow later in her life. Additional documentaries, books, and apparel transformed Justice Ginsburg into an icon of equal rights. She truly would be recalled for the attention she drew to fair civil procedures, whether it be from the Supreme Court or her hospital bed.

After serving 27 years in the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg passed away on September 18, 2020, at the age of 87. That night, the Ruth Project was founded to honor her impacts and one of her most compelling lessons:

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

Our organization does not look to the flame extinguished on September 18, 2020, but to the candle we lit that night out of dedication to see Justice Ginsburg’s legacy live on. We are one in our determination to further gender equity, building off the groundbreaking work to which Justice Ginsburg dedicated her life.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is our namesake because, as the next generation of feminists, it is imperative that we pick up the banner of gender justice left behind by past feminists and carry it forward once more. We are the Ruth Project because it is Ruth’s banner that we carry—the banner of a woman who fought for gender equity not with her hands, but with her words and legal arguments.