THE GREAT AMERICANS MEDAL

 

She was an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who, at least for the last decade of her life, did not need an introduction. The diminutive—5' 1—Ruth Bader Ginsburg was regaled with standing ovations wherever she went, often to her bewilderment. But she was much more than just the Notorious RBG. The fullness of her achievements is being recognized by the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, which has posthumously given her its Great Americans Award.

Museum Director Anthea Hartig awarded the signature 1.85-ounce gold coin to Ginsburg's daughter Jane C. Ginsburg and son James S. Ginsburg in a virtual ceremony on March 30. The award, modeled after the 1907 Double Eagle coin designed by sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens, has been presented each year since 2016. Recipients have included Madeleine K. Albright, Colin Powell, Tom Brokaw, Cal Ripken Jr., Billie Jean King, Paul Simon and Anthony S. Fauci.

During a recent ceremony, her daughter Jane, a professor at Columbia University Law School, and her son James, founder of a classical music record label in Chicago, reminisced about their mother. They also gave contextual back stories for a trove of objects from Ginsburg's chambers, including a stack of printed briefs from her own arguments before the court and a nameplate for her library cart, that the family has donated to the museum.

The 20-some objects will be used to tell more fully the complex history of the United States and Justice Ginsburg's connections to pivotal moments in women's history, especially the fight for gender equity, says Hartig. They may eventually be displayed, but otherwise, once catalogued, will be available for viewing online.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts says he had been honored to serve with Ginsburg for 15 of her 27 years at the Supreme Court. Prior to that, it was my more stressful honor to argue before her as an advocate in the Court, he says. He remarked upon her long legal career, which began with Ginsburg being one of nine women in a class of more than 500 at Harvard Law School. She was a law professor at Rutgers in the 1960s and a founding attorney with the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberty Union in the 1970s, arguing as lead counsel before the Supreme Court in six cases, winning five.

The Smithsonian received one of her most-widely recognized collars, the dissent collar. It was simply a repurposed rhinestone and faux crystal necklace from the retailer Banana Republic that she received in a swag bag at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in 2012. James Ginsburg described it as a dour collar to match his mother's mood when she had to give a dissenting opinion. The majority collar was brighter. Her law clerks purchased the necklace—sunflower-like with its bright yellow beadwork and pendulous small crystal balls—from Anthropologie.

The collars were more than just adornments. They helped journalists because they would see which collar she came to the courtroom with and know which way the case went, says James.

To read the complete article, see:
New Artifacts Document the Soaring Popularity of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/new-artifacts-document-the-soaring-popularity-of-ruth-bader-ginsburg-180979873/)

For more information, see:
The Great Americans Medal (https://greatamericans.si.edu/)

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