Ginsburg, Ruth Joan Bader (1933– )

US Supreme Court associate justice. Nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993, she was only the second woman to serve on the court. Ginsburg made her reputation as a civil liberties lawyer in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly with the six cases on gender equality she argued before the Supreme Court 1973–76. She won five of the cases, establishing a legal framework for women's rights.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, she studied at Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School and taught law at Rutgers University 1963–72 and Columbia Law School 1972–80. In 1971 Ginsburg launched the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union and was its counsel 1973–80. She was a judge on the US Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia 1980–93, where she gained a reputation for moderation and precision.