U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Sept. 18, 2020, at the age of 87 from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the New York Times reported.
Ginsburg announced in July that she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lesions on her liver, the latest of her several battles with cancer, reported the Associated Press.
In the aftermath of her death, members of the BYU–Hawaii ohana shared Justice Ginsburg's impact on their lives and her contribution to equality, women's rights, supporting minorities and the LGBTQ community, and their concerns on appointing a new justice.
"Thank you, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for inspiring, empowering and enabling women to reach their potential," said Jennifer Kajiyama Tinkham, an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Business & Government.
Tinkham said she was grateful for the opportunity to have met Justice Ginsburg. "Though small in stature, Justice Ginsburg was an intellectual giant and a warrior for women," she said.
Though small in stature, Justice Ginsburg was an intellectual giant and a warrior for women.
When she met Justice Ginsburg, Tinkham said she asked her how she achieved her success. She said Justice Ginsburg replied, "I had the most supportive partner. My husband, Marty was the greatest cheerleader and friend.
"He wanted me to succeed, he saw my potential and he allowed me to accomplish my dreams. My success is a direct result of having the support of a good man. We all need a Marty," said Justice Ginsburg.
Ginsburg graduated "at the top of her Columbia University law school class in 1959 but could not find a law firm willing to hire her," reports the Associate Press. "She had 'three strikes against her' — for being Jewish, female and a mother, as she put it in 2007."
The same AP article says she married her husband in 1954, the year she graduated from Cornell University. "She attended Harvard University’s law school but transferred to Columbia when her husband took a law job there. Martin Ginsburg went on to become a prominent tax attorney and law professor. Martin Ginsburg died in 2010. She is survived by two children, Jane and James, and several grandchildren," the AP article continues.
BYUH student Dana Plomgren said she was heartbroken about the passing of the late Supreme Court justice.
Justice Ginsburg meant a lot to her family because she fought for gender equality, women's rights, such as women's health care and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights and environmental preservation, said Plomgren, a junior from California majoring in biology.
Stephen Gomez Perez, a junior from Mexico majoring in psychology, said Ginsburg was a "trailblazer, an icon for many people, minorities and women." Her passing came at a difficult time for him, he said, and he shared he felt both heartbroken and stunned.
"She was such a defender... for women's rights, minorities, and the LGBTQ community in the Supreme Court in big cases that helped bring social equality for a lot of people who have been misrepresented," Perez said.
Perez expressed Justice Ginsburg's passing worries people as there are now three liberal justices in the Supreme Court dominated by five conservative justices. Justice Ginsburg "held the line," he explained.
Of Ginsburg, Perez said, "She did monumental things, and people should really take the time to know and just learn about a great American hero."
Chief Justice John Roberts mourned Ginsburg’s passing, reports the Associated Press. “Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice,” Roberts said in a statement.
Plomgren said she is hopeful President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate will not appoint a new Supreme Court justice until a new president is elected.
Justice Ginsburg's last remarks dictated to her granddaughter Clara Spera not long before she passed, reports National Public Radio, were, "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."
Perez said, "By the looks of it, that's not going to happen. The Republican-controlled Senate is in favor of President Trump."
