The Legacy of RBG

    "The Supreme Court of the United States (or SCOTUS) is the highest federal court in the country and the head of the judicial branch of government. Established by the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court has the ultimate jurisdiction over all laws within the United States and is responsible for evaluating the constitutionality of those laws."

    With the recent event of Ruth Badger Ginsburg's passing, I wanted to research and write about the history of The Supreme Court as well as Ginsburg's influences and legacy. Since I am not extremely familiar with the history of both topics I think that writing this post will benefit me for this class but also  the issue of the open seat in the upcoming election. 

    The United States Supreme Court was established in 1789 by Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. This article not only established the Constitution but also granted Congress the power to create inferior federal courts. An inferior court is a court that is in lower rank to decisions that are subject to review by the highest court within the judicial system. This Constitution permitted that the group of Congress members were to decide the members of the Supreme Court organization as well as the legislative branch. They were able to exercise this power through the Judiciary Act of 1789. This rule was signed into law by President George Washington and enacted that the court would be made up of only six justices. These justice would be able to serve on the court until they chose to retire or died. These rules are still in place today. In the past there have been as few as six Justices, but since 1869 there have been nine Supreme Court Justices in office, including one Chief Justice. All Justices are well evaluated and nominated by the current President of the United States, the Senate and still have their life tenure.

    Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born 1933 and grew up in a low-income, working-class neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. She earned her bachelor's degree in government from Cornell University in 1954 and graduated top in her class. In 1980 she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals and in 1993 was appointed to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton. Ginsburg was the second woman to be appointed to this position. 

    During Ginsburg's time as a Supreme Court Justice she favored moderation and restraint and was considered a part of the moderate-liberal bloc. Some of the bigger cases that she is known for was United States v. Virginia, 1996 which struck down the all-male admissions policy at Virginia Military Institute (VMI).  Bush v. Gore, 2000 which called for a Florida recount in the 2000 election. Obergefell v. Hodges, 2015 which legalized same-sex marriage. Just to name a few. Today, she is seen a figure for presenting a strong voice in favor of gender equality, women's rights and the separation of church and state.

References

Biography.com Editors. (2020, September 28). Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.biography.com/law-figure/ruth-bader-ginsburg 

History.com Editors. (2010, May 11). Supreme Court. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.history.com/topics/us-government/supreme-court-facts

Webster, E. S., & Wolper, C. (2020, September 19). 8 Essential Ruth Bader Ginsburg Supreme Court Rulings to Know About. Retrieved October 11, 2020, from https://www.teenvogue.com/story/ruth-bader-ginsburg-supreme-court-rulings-to-know-about