Who Will We Idolize Now?

• Publication year: 2020
• Author: The Hon. Paige S. Levy

Who Will We Idolize Now?

The Hon. Paige S. Levy

Marina del Rey, California

My heart broke when I heard of the passing of the Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I saw her only once, when Chief Justice Rehnquist swore me in to appear as an attorney in front of the Supreme Court in 1996, an event my alma mater hosted. The swearing in was a magical moment, but I was mostly delighted by the fact that I got to see RBG in person. She was doing something that most of us as young lawyers had only dreamed of: she was making a difference.

Over the years, RBG not only took on the tough issues and won; she never gave up and she never backed down. I guess that is why she became an icon to so many of us, men and women alike. She saw injustice and she never, I mean never, let that go. That is why we all revered her. There are so many injustices that go unchecked, unaccounted for. I, like many, sometimes sit on the sidelines, watch when bad things happen, and too often turn away, thinking, "Don't get involved; you might get hurt," and "Girls should be seen and not heard," as my mother used to tell me. I envied RBG because she never let such thoughts stop her.

RBG, like many women (including myself), was treated unfairly and even inappropriately, because she was a woman, and sometimes because she was a Jew. She used that treatment as her fuel, her fire. And she never stopped. I don't think I have ever seen anyone care about other human beings in such a large way. What scares me the most now is, who is there to idolize, to look up to? I for one have always loved the influence of people who inspire me, drive me, motivate me, and RBG did exactly that. I wonder, who will my 15-year-old niece look to for that inspiration, that greatness? Who will be her idol? Who is left?

Many of us, on learning of the death of the Notorious RBG, got really scared. What does this mean for women's rights, personal liberties, and the advancement of individual rights...