United States Supreme Court Judge, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away Friday. The Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas.
The Supreme Court, in a statement, said Ginsburg died at her home in Washington surrounded by family.
A Champion of Women’s Rights, 'Notorious RBG’: Who Was Ruth Bader?
Ginsburg, the oldest justice and the second ever woman to sit on the Supreme Court, where she served for 27 years, was a legal pioneer advocating gender equality.
She was appointed in 1993 by then President Bill Clinton and has over the years become the most senior member of the court's liberal wing.
Over an illustrious legal career spanning six decades, Ginsburg attained unparalleled celebrity status for a jurist in the US, revered by liberals and conservatives alike.
Born to Jewish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1933, Ginsburg studied at Harvard Law School, where she was one of only nine women in a class of about 500 men.
In 1972, Ginsburg co-founded the Women's Rights Project at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Toward the end of her life, Ginsburg became a national icon. Due in part to her withering dissents, Ginsburg was dubbed the Notorious RBG by her army of fans online - a nod to the late rapper The Notorious BIG.
‘A Tireless Champion of Justice’: America Mourns Her Loss
"Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature," Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement on Friday night.
"We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her - a tireless and resolute champion of justice."
The vacancy now enables President Donald Trump to tap a replacement - the third Supreme Court justice nominee during his presidency - that may swing the bench further to the conservative side.
Ginsburg Had a Long History Of Health Troubles
Ginsburg has a long history of health problems, having been battling various cancers since 1999, when she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
She underwent a surgery for pancreatic cancer in 2009, had two cancerous nodules removed from her left lung in December 2018, and received additional treatment for the pancreatic tumor in August 2019.
Ginsburg told US media in early January that she was "cancer free", but in July she was treated for liver cancer.
Just days before her death, as her strength waned, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
Trump reacted to Ginsburg's death after an election rally in Minnesota on Friday night, saying: "I didn't know that. She led an amazing life, what else can you say?"
"RIP Queen" and "No. No. No." trended on Twitter shortly after the announcement of her passing.
(With inputs from IANS)
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