Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a well known part of the political world as one of the most feminist Justices of the Supreme Court.  Her passing has affected many citizens all across America. Her contributions to the United States have transformed her into a hero among the eyes of many.

Ginsburg was appointed as a Supreme Court Justice in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, and was a large proponent for women’s rights and fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Though she had been plagued by cancer since she was young, she did not allow this to stop or slow her from helping millions.

Within her time as Supreme Court Justice, Ginsburg strongly favored gender equality, the separation of church and state, and the rights of workers. This made her well liked by the Democratic and Liberal parties, even though she herself was a Democratic representative.  

One of her most historic rulings happened on June 25, 2015 when she was one of six judges to push for Obamacare, also known at the time as the Affordable Care Act. It was a significant step forward for healthcare reform within the United States and managed to make many conservative politicians fairly upset. However, at the time, it was a great victory for President Obama and tied Ginsburg to a large part of the American history of healthcare.

Other notable acts by this feminist idol include her serving as the director of the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is a group that has been fighting for women’s rights for many years.

It was a group that challenged rulings many times by specific Supreme Court Justices that were made to oppress women, such as the case of Reed v. Reed which was the automatic preference of men over women as administrator of estate when both were equally as qualified. 

Ginsburg also served as director for the ACLU in the 1970’s before she was appointed to the US Court of Appeals and then as a Supreme Court Justice. 

During her time as a part of the ACLU, she was also granted six landmark cases and won five of them. She believed the law was blind to gender and everyone was entitled to equal rights no matter what they addressed themselves as. This made her a large feminist icon because not many other figures within politics at the time acted on their suspicions of inequality like she did.

Ginsburg was also known for protecting the LGBTQ+ community through her invocation of the fourteenth amendment. This was focused mostly on the equal protection clause arguing that this should guarantee gender equality and protection for everyone. 

This led to the cementing of the clause into law, which could overturn non-racially based discriminatory laws against marginalized groups, including the LGBTQ+ community. 

Through all the good she has done for women’s rights and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, the actions of Ruth Bader Ginsburg will forever go down in history. Many mourn her passing, but many also celebrate her life and everything she did to protect the lives of the oppressed. As Ginsburg once stated “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”