Everything You Need to Know About Ruth Bader Ginsburg Before Seeing “On The Basis Of Sex”

Felicity Jones, a Hollywood actress who has taken on several difficult roles, including Jane Hawking in “The Theory of Everything,”, will take on yet another. Specifically of Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the new drama-biographical film, “On the Basis of Sex”, set to be released this Christmas. Here’s everything you need to know about Ruth Bader Ginsburg before you see her on the big screen.

She spoke out on #MeToo

RBG has always been open in speaking about her experiences and views, and she is no different when it comes to the #MeToo movement. She has spoken out on her own experience, telling the story of when her chemistry professor at Cornell gave her special treatment and implied how she could pay him back.

In an interview with the Atlantic, she said “The number of women who have come forward as a result of the #MeToo movement has been astonishing. My hope is not just that it is here to stay, but it is as effective for the woman who works as a maid in a hotel as it is for Hollywood stars.” She took care of her husband when he was diagnosed with cancer.

RBG married Martin D. Ginsburg, a law student, in 1954 before they conceived their first child and Martin was drafted into the Military. Just two years later, Martin was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to receive serious and intense treatment. RBG not only continued to raise their child while pursuing law, but she also looked after her very ill husband and even took lecture notes for him when he was too sick to keep attending his law classes.

She had a great education

Though her mother sacrificed her chance at going to college to pay for her brother’s education, Gingsburg attended high school, college, and law school. She attended high school in Brooklyn, at James Madison High School, after graduation she continued her education by attending Cornell University, where she was first in her class. After marrying Martin D. Ginsburg and having their first child, Ruth enrolled in law school at Harvard. Though being berated by the school’s dean, Ginsburg persevered and ended up being the first female member of the “Harvard Law Review”. After graduation Ginsburg attended Columbia Law School where she graduated first in her class and was elected to the school’s law review.

National Women’s Hall of Fame

RBG was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2002 alongside Katharine Graham, an American publisher associated with the publication of the Pentagon Papers. The National Women’s Hall of Fame is a cultural institute located in Seneca Falls, NY and recognized RBG for her governmental achievements.

She’s voted in several major cases

As an associate Justice of the Supreme Court, RBJ has being involved in several major Supreme Court cases, including voting to uphold Obamacare and to federally legalize same-sex marriage.

She faced gender discrimination

RBG fought not just for the rights of other women but for her rights as well. She had to fight to earn the respect of her professors and classmates at Harvard, being one of nine females in a 500 person class. She was told she was taking a man’s place in the classroom and wasn’t taken seriously because of her gender. RBG even hid her pregnancy from her coworkers at Rutgers because of the discrimination she was already facing. After graduation she struggled to find a job despite graduating first in her class at Columbia Law. RBG only found a job after a professor at Columbia decided to refuse recommending other Columbia graduates until RBG was hired as a clerk by U.S. District Judge Edmund L. Palmieri. She was constantly given a lower salary than her fellow male coworkers and ended up being the first female professor at Columbia to earn tenure.

Health Obstacles

On top of all the responsibilities Ruth Bader Ginsburg already had, she also struggled with her health while dealing with everything else. In 1999 she was diagnosed with colon cancer and had to get surgery and undergo chemotherapy and radiation therapy. She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009, was hospitalized for an iron deficiency in 2009, and had a stent place in her right coronary artery in 2014. This incredible woman managed to survive all of her diagnoses and didn’t miss a single argument despite all of her medical issues. Yeah, not a single day. Which brings me to the next Ruth Bader Ginsburg fact.

She has never missed an oral argument

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has lived a successful yet fairly troubled life. Not only did she face all of the health obstacles above, but she also lost her husband in 2010. She went to all her oral arguments, even while she was undergoing chemo and getting surgery. She even went to her oral argument scheduled for the day after her husband died.

The 85-year-old Associate Justice of the Supreme Court is still serving and is thought to not retire anytime soon. “The Basis of Sex” will chronicle Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life, specifically focusing on her early life and the struggles she overcame as a young woman. The 1975 court case, “Weinberger v. Wiesenfeld”, which was a case on gender equality/sex discrimination. Check out Felicity Jones take on this legendary woman who helped make a change for women.

Know any other interesting facts about RBG? Tell us in the comments!