By Judie Donaldson

She’s 85 and looks like she couldn’t weigh more than 90 pounds. She works out every day with a personal trainer, and can do more pushups that most men in their 40s and 50s. It’s not unusual for her to be working at her desk until four in the morning.  “Saturday Night Live” has developed more than one comedic scenario about her. A group of admiring young women have labeled her a rock star. Can you guess who this is?
No? Well, here’s another clue. A documentary about her life has been showing in the major movie theatres. Are you still drawing a blank?  One last clue. The documentary is titled “RBG.” I’m not surprised if you still didn’t come up with the answer. This tiny and amazing women is not a celebrity in the typical sense. She’s a Supreme Court judge, and her name is Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
I’m prompted to write about her today because I’ve just been to the Pleasant Hill Century 16 complex to see “RBG.”  I am fascinated that a documentary of a Supreme Court judge––and a female to boot!––would be showing alongside films like “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Superfly” and “Deadpool 2.” It beats me, but I’m ecstatic that such an unlikely film is in the entertainment mainstream.
Carquinez Village, along with the other villages that comprise the Village movement, is founded on the principle that we don’t need to curl up and give up because we’re “old.” Instead, the villages want to encourage, support, and inspire seniors to live life as fully as possible. I love it when I come across people who can serve as role models in this regard.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of them. Let me tell you a little more about her.
Born in 1933 in Brooklyn, she grew up climbing roof tops and doing all the things the boys did. But, she wasn’t boisterous kid. Instead, at an early age, she developed a quiet magnetism that continues to characterize her today.
Ruth pursued her undergraduate degree at Cornell. Along with completing her degree, she met and married her husband, Marty, the love of her life.  A man who was never threatened by his wife’s brilliance, he became her champion for the next 56 years.
In 1955, Ruth was one of nine female students in a class of 500 at Harvard Law School. She immediately set records, including being the first woman to make the Law Review. She transferred to Columbia University when her husband graduated from law school and took a position with a New York city law firm. He was intellectually gifted as well. Many say that he became the best tax attorney in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, Ruth graduated with her law degree in 1959–only to find that there wasn’t a law firm in New York city that would hire a woman! This may have led to her lifelong commitment to eradicating injustice. Legal experts believe that, over her career, Ruth literally changed the legal landscape for women in the United States. While other women were marching for women’s rights, she was litigating––and winning––one Supreme Court gender discrimination case after another. Ruth’s approach in the courtroom is that of an educator who calmly, clearly, and persuasively argues her case.
President Carter selected Ruth for a position on the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1980, and President Clinton appointed her to the Supreme Court in 1993. It is common knowledge that her husband, Marty, was responsible for getting Clinton to interview her. He lobbied everyone in Washington to make it happen! Clinton was so impressed that halfway through Ruth’s interview, he decided to nominate her. At her confirmation hearing, she so convinced the senators with her mind and her understated approach that she was confirmed by a 96 to 3 vote, an unheard-of majority.
Ruth impressed her colleagues on the Supreme Court as well. Everyone was fascinated that she and fellow judge Antonin Scalia became best of friends. This was surprising because they held such oppositional views on Constitutional law––she, a dedicated liberal and he, a staunch conservative. In 1999, Ruth won the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award for her contributions to gender equality and civil rights.
She regularly impresses people with her personal, as well as her legal, style. In 2010, she returned to work the day after her husband, Marty, died. She survived both colon and pancreatic cancer by barely missing a day of work––and by becoming a physical fitness icon! She has also undergone heart surgery. Because of her illnesses and her age, she is frequently asked when she will retire. Ruth’s consistent response is that she’ll continue to do her job as long as she is able to do it well.
Inspiring, right? Perhaps even a little intimidating. Few of us can be quite like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. But, we can mimic her positive nature and determination. We can become skilled at arguing with reason and calm. We can learn from her passion for the law. Do you have a passion that breathes life into your spirit? If not, how about finding one?
By the way, Ruth’s nickname is “notorious.” The book about her life is titled, “The Notorious RBG.” Not surprisingly, it’s an inspiring read. Can you imagine if you became known as notorious? What would it take? What would it mean? Just for fun, try it on for size.

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