By Meredith Deliso and Emily Shapiro
The Supreme Court stalwart died Friday at the age of 87.
Politicians, world leaders, journalists and celebrities are offering their condolences in the wake of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday.
President Donald Trump
President Trump in a statement referred to her as a “titan of the law,” who was “renowned for her brilliant mind and her powerful dissents.”
“A fighter to the end, Justice Ginsburg battled cancer, and other very long odds, throughout her remarkable life,” Trump said. “May her memory be a great and magnificent blessing to the world.”
President Barack Obama
Ginsburg, according to Obama, helped inspire future generations’ pursuit of justice.
“Over a long career on both sides of the bench – as a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist – Justice Ginsburg helped us see that discrimination on the basis of sex isn’t about an abstract ideal of equality; that it doesn’t only harm women; that it has real consequences for all of us. It’s about who we are – and who we can be,” Obama said.
President Bill Clinton
Clinton, who appointed Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in 1993, called her “one of the most extraordinary Justices ever,” who had “boundless courage in the face of her own adversity.”
“Her 27 years on the Court exceeded even my highest expectations when I appointed her,” he said. “Her landmark opinions advancing gender equality, marriage equality, the rights of people with disabilities, the rights of immigrants, and so many more moved us closer to ‘a more perfect union.'”
President George W. Bush
Bush said, “She dedicated many of her 87 remarkable years to the pursuit of justice and equality, and she inspired more than one generation of women and girls.”
President Jimmy Carter
Carter, who appointed Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1980, said she was a “powerful legal mind” and “staunch advocate for gender equality, she has been a beacon of justice during her long and remarkable career.”MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s impact on generations of women and girls
Here are more tributes to Ginsburg:
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
“Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG.”
Justice Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me. There will never be another like her. Thank you RBG.
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) September 19, 2020
Vice President Mike Pence
“Today, America mourns the passing of a true public, servant, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Ginsburg led an inspiring life, and her storied career paved the way for women in the law. As an advocate and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, she was a champion for women whose tireless determination reshaped our national life. A fierce defender of her judicial philosophy, Justice Ginsburg will always be remembered as a jurist who respected and commanded the respect of her colleagues.”
Former Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president and former vice president, said she “was not only a giant in the legal profession, but a beloved figure, and my heart goes out to all those who cared for her and care about her.”MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, powerhouse Supreme Court Justice, dies at 87
“She practiced the highest American ideals as a justice: equality and justice under the law,” Biden said.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us,” he added.
Sen. Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham
“It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Justice Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer who possessed tremendous passion for her causes. She served with honor and distinction as a member of the Supreme Court.”
It was with great sadness that I learned of the passing of Justice Ginsburg.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) September 19, 2020
Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer who possessed tremendous passion for her causes. She served with honor and distinction as a member of the Supreme Court.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
“The Senate and the nation mourn the sudden passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the conclusion of her extraordinary American life. Justice Ginsburg overcame one personal challenge and professional barrier after another. She climbed from a modest Brooklyn upbringing to a seat on our nation’s highest court and into the pages of American history. Justice Ginsburg was thoroughly dedicated to the legal profession and to her 27 years of service on the Supreme Court. Her intelligence and determination earned her respect and admiration throughout the legal world, and indeed throughout the entire nation, which now grieves alongside her family, friends, and colleagues.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
“The loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is devastaing. Justice Ginsberg embodied justice, brilliance and goodness, and her passing is an incalculable loss for our democracy and for all who sacrifice and strive to build a better future for our children.
“Every family in America benefited from her brilliant legacy and courage. Over the course of her quarter century as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg became an icon, inspiring people around the world with her tenacity, towering intellect and devotion to the American promise of equality and opportunity for all. Her tireless advocacy in the fight for gender equality, whether working at the ACLU, arguing cases before the Supreme Court or authoring thoughtful and historic opinions and dissents as an Associate Justice, leaves an enduring legacy of progress for all women. Her opinions have unequivocally cemented the precedent that all men and women are created equal.
“We must honor Justice Ginsburg’s trailblazing career and safeguard her powerful legacy by ensuring that the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court upholds her commitment to equality, opportunity and justice for all. May it be a source of comfort to her children, Jane and James, her grandchildren Paul, Clara, Miranda and Abigail, and loved ones that so many people around the world mourn their loss and are praying for them at this sad time.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
“Tonight, we mourn the passing of a giant in American history, a champion for justice, a trailblazer for women. She would want us all to fight as hard as we can to preserve her legacy.”
Tonight, we mourn the passing of a giant in American history, a champion for justice, a trailblazer for women.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) September 18, 2020
She would want us all to fight as hard as we can to preserve her legacy.
