As expected, the year 2020 keeps on rolling unabated with yet another not altogether unexpected surprise but a shock nevertheless. I walked into my living room yesterday evening and my wife informed of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG). Needless to say, the first words out of my mouth were, “Whoa! This is big”.
First though I would offer my condolences to her family. I am sure they, a person who never met her personally, have been watching her decline and speaking from firsthand experience of similar experiences have begun their mourning and will be doing so for some time to come.
To be quite honest I personally have paid little attention to the life of Justice Ginsburg other than that I pretty much disagreed with her positions on the bench in just about every imaginable way possible up to and included her use of her position for judicial activism. Just look at the name of my blog and this should come as no surprise. However, after watching some of the hastily assembled tributes and recounts of her life last night it is hard not to respect all that she accomplished in her life. A lifetime that began in 1933 and spanned across a period of time in which included so many changes in the world and our country. A period of time that encompassed wars, great social changes, a man land on the moon, the advent of the computer, and many other things to say the least. I must respect that she was able to have a family, go to law school, practice law and ultimately rise to one of the highest judicial positions in our country. To Ruth Bader Ginsburg, “I say Shalom and though I am not Jewish it certainly is not lost on me that you have passed on the Shabbat at the beginning of Rosh Hoshana. May you rest in peace Justice Ginsburg”.