Events Leading up to Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Appointment to the U.S Supreme Court

Attended Harvard Law School

1956

In the fall of 1956 Ruth attended Harvard Law School where she was only one out of the nine women in a class of five hundred men.

Transferred and Graduated from Columbia Law

1959

After transferring to Columbia Law, Ginsburg served on the Columbia Law review as well as graduated first in her class.

Supreme Court Justice Denies the Employment of Ginsburg

1960

After graduating Columbia Ruth had trouble getting hired by a firm due to her gender. Even under the recommendation of former Harvard professor Albert Sachs, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter rejected Ginsburg for a clerkship due to the fact that he was not ready to hire a female law clerk.

Ginsburg Becomes Professor of Law

1963

Ginsburg eventually became a professor of law at Rutgers.

Co-Founded the Women's Rights Laws Reporter

1970

Ginsburg co-founded The Women's Rights Law Reporter, which was the first law journal that devoted to gender equality issues in the United States.

Ginsburg Argues Her First Case

1973

Ginsburg gained a monumental victory in the case of Reed v Reed. This resulted in the removing of Idaho law that favored men over women in estate battles, and the extension of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment to women.

Published First Textbook on Sex Discrimination

1974

Ginsburg published Text, Cases, and Materials on Sex Based Discrimination, which was the first ever textbook on sex discrimination law.

Appointment to the U.S Court of Appeals

1980

President Jimmy Carter appointed Ruth to the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where she served for 13 years.

Appointment to the U.S Supreme Court

1993

Ginsburg was appointed to the U.S Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton to fill the seat of Justice Byron White. This made her the first ever Jewish woman to serve on this prestigious court.