HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG.

Dear Readers,

As we publish Volume 40 of the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, we also mourn the tremendous loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg '59--an academic titan, zealous advocate, and powerful force in the legal profession. There is little doubt that her career changed the trajectory of American jurisprudence; her impact on the rule of law is lasting and meaningful.

Justice Ginsburg's legacy is particularly special to us. As a member of our Board of Advisors and alumna of Columbia Law School, Justice Ginsburg has been a guiding light for students serving on our staff since the Journal's inception thirty years ago.

In her introduction to our first issue, Justice Ginsburg described our mission to "portray today's feminist movement, not as unitary, rigid or doctrinaire, but as a spacious home, with rooms enough to accommodate all who have the imagination and determination to work for the full realization of human potential." (1)

With each piece of new scholarship published, the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law strives to maintain that spacious home for today's movement for gender equality-especially as it expands, improves, and evolves. It is with respect and gratitude that we continue our work in her spirit.

Though our hearts are heavy, the most fitting way to honor her is to forge onward with reverence, working toward a society that is more just, fair, and equitable. Before we set our sights to the future, we would like to pay homage to the past by remembering her rich story and contributions to the legal profession.

The following account of Justice Ginsburg's life and career was inspired by the time she sat down with Professors Gillian Metzger and Abbe Gluck to discuss her robust legal career for the Journal's 2012 Symposium, "Honoring Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg." (2)

Pursuit of Legal Education

Ruth Bader Ginsburg attended law school at a time when women were routinely excluded from pursuing a legal education. She was influenced, in part, by the troubling grip of McCarthyism on the United States in the 1950s. Attending college during this period, Ginsburg worked as a research assistant for Professor Robert Cushman, a constitutional law scholar who pushed her to consider the country's relationship to its fundamental values.

Ginsburg felt inspired by the work of the "brave lawyers, standing up for the people who were called before the Senate Internal Security Committee, [and] the House Un-American Activities Committee." This...