WASHINGTON – On news of the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Constitutional Accountability Center President Elizabeth Wydra issued the following statement:  

We at CAC are heart-stricken at tonight’s terrible news and are holding the family and friends of Justice Ginsburg tightly in our thoughts and in our prayers. 

Justice Ginsburg was a national treasure. She was a jurist whose mark on history can never be erased, whose deep commitment to our nation—delivered in the quiet, commanding voice that was her trademark—helped make real for millions of Americans the protections contained in the text, history, and values of our Constitution. 

Through our sadness, we must also take time to celebrate Justice Ginsburg’s historic legacy. A key aspect of that legacy should not be overlooked: Her belief that the Constitution, viewed as a whole, is a progressive document. She helped remind progressives that they should not cede the Constitution to conservatives. Rather, progressives should, like her, be willing to fight with conservatives over what the Constitution means. Those are fights that progressives can win, and we at CAC will do all we can to carry on that fight long into the future. 

Young people will study Justice Ginsburg’s achievements for generations to come, that is certain. May they also learn how she made America a more just, more equal, and more powerful nation, where people of every identity and status can benefit from the full blessings of liberty that America’s Constitution promises to them.   

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Resources:  

CAC-sponsored event: “U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Experts to Discuss Her Legacy on Gender Equality at Georgetown Law,” July 2, 2019: https://www.theusconstitution.org/events/u-s-supreme-court-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-and-experts-to-discuss-her-legacy-on-gender-equality-at-georgetown-law/ 

“RBG, Originalist,” David Gans, April 7, 2016: https://www.theusconstitution.org/blog/rbg-originalist/  

“Justice Scalia’s liberal legacy,” Elizabeth Wydra and Brianne Gorod, March 3, 2016: https://news.yahoo.com/justice-scalia-liberal-legacy-103212974–politics.html 

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Constitutional Accountability Center is a think tank, public interest law firm, and action center dedicated to fulfilling the progressive promise of the Constitution’s text and history. Visit CAC’s website at www.theusconstitution.org.  

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