The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a trailblazer for women's rights, has left many inspired and ready to continue the work championed by the late justice, including Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center.

"I will keep her memory with me as we forge extraordinary fights ahead and I am, again, buoyed by her last words, which to me are a meaningful and real reminder that the best way to respect her legacy is to fight for this court and this institution," Graves told Cheddar, referring to reports that Ginsburg requested she not be replaced on the Court until the next president is sworn in. Despite the wish, Republicans are planning to move forward quickly.

For Graves, her own mission and life's work, she said, would not be at all possible without Ginsburg's efforts in court.

"The National Women's Law Center as an organization would not have existed but for that landmark Reed decision that Justice Ginsburg argued," she stated.

In the case of Reed v. Reed, as then-head of the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU, Ginsburg successfully argued that not appointing a woman as the administrator of an estate solely based on sex was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court decision in the case led the way for other gender discrimination cases and subsequent changes to hundreds of laws that discriminated against women.

Graves said that while Ginsburg's death was felt immensely across many demographics, the loss is particularly hard for female lawyers.

"She is an icon broadly, but for women lawyers in this country and for those who deeply understand justice and what it means, she's really a hero," she continued.

Ginsburg was known for using her judicial platform to acknowledge legal difficulties faced by the disenfranchised and underrepresented, often pointing out to her peers, particularly on the Supreme Court, that their decisions have real-life consequences.  

"People saw her as a champion for real people at the Court. And she ensured that the Court didn't seem too disconnected, including in her very last term," Graves explained.

While the justice may have been 87 years old, the impact of her work, according to Graves, is even connecting with children.

"There are drawings and flowers and art in her memory and people are coming and using it as an opportunity to tell their children not only about Justice Ginsburg and her life but about her legacy. Her legacy for justice and her legacy for the people," she said.

Share:
More In Politics
What Inflation Means For American Businesses
Inflation has risen to its highest level in 31 years, sending consumer prices on everything from groceries to gas to rent surging. For many businesses, that's good news as inflation typically means better profit margins. According to data from FactSet, nearly two out of three of the biggest U.S. publicly traded companies have reported fatter profit margins so far this year compared to the same stretch of 2019, before the pandemic. Gregory Daco, chief U.S. economist for Oxford Economics, breaks down how the top businesses are reaping the benefits of inflation, and when consumers can expect inflation to ease.
Covid Cases on the Rise Ahead of Holiday Season
Cases of covid-19 are climbing in the Upper Midwest, Southwest, and parts of the Northeast. The seven-day national average is sitting at roughly 82,000 new cases which is an 11 percent jump from the week before. Dr. Amesh Adalja, Infectious Disease, Specialist, Sr. Scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss this recent uptick ahead of the holiday season.
Markets Open Higher After Losing Week on Wall Street
Markets were pointing to a higher open to kick off the third trading week in November. It comes as stocks come off a losing week in reaction to October's consumer price index--which showed inflation at its highest point in over 30 years. Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist for LPL Financial joined Wake Up with Cheddar to discuss.
Making Real Changes Through Ballot Measures
We toss around the term "democracy is under attack" quite often without thinking too much, but one organization is actually stepping up to do something about it. The Fairness Project is a group that funds and organizes state ballot measures across the country. It has used ballot initiatives on campaigns aimed at expanding Medicaid, adding more paid time off, and raising minimum wage. It recently launched a new direct democracy campaign to fight back against attempts to make ballot measures inaccessible. Kelly Hall, executive director of The Fairness Project, joined Cheddar Politics to discuss more about the group's efforts to push for economic and social justice, avoiding partisan gridlock.
What Does Biden's $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Bill Mean for Americans - And the Economy?
President Joe Biden signed into law today his landmark $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, and it includes approximately $550 billion in new funding for increased broadband access, improving the power grid, and more. But what does this mean for the American economy, and American workers? Eliza Collins, Politics Reporter at The Wall Street Journal joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss what's included in the bill, which former mayor has been tapped to oversee how the bill is implemented, and how these new infrastructure investments will impact the economy.
Load More