Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, celebrating her 20th anniversary on the bench. Photo / Getty Images
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, celebrating her 20th anniversary on the bench. Photo / Getty Images
Celebrities and politicians have continued to take to social media overnight to express their condolences after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The death of the 87 year-old was announced yesterday. The US Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from cancer.
Ginsburg, the court's secondfemale justice, died at her home in Washington.
In July she announced she was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for lesions on her liver, the latest of her several battles with cancer.
Celebrities such as former World No. 1 professional tennis player Billie Jean King took to Twitter after her death was announced.
"A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment, because they were needed most and were the most righteous.
"We needed #RBG for so long, but together, we've got this now.
She was small in stature but even the tallest looked up to her. Her voice was soft but her message rang loud and clear and will echo forever. Thank you, RBG. Rest In Peace. Respectfully, Dolly Parton pic.twitter.com/Sra7ge5K9b
We each can honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg by asking ourselves, "What would Ruth do?" Using this as a guide in our own lives will keep her with us.
We can also honor what she said so recently: "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." pic.twitter.com/LYG8dzTLlC
Many US politicians also expressed their condolences including Barack Obama, President Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Hilary and Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton shared a photo of the pair on Twitter.
We have lost one of the most extraordinary Justices ever to serve on the Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life and landmark opinions moved us closer to a more perfect union. And her powerful dissents reminded us that we walk away from our Constitution’s promise at our peril. pic.twitter.com/dDECiBxae6
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end, through her cancer, with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals. That’s how we remember her. But she also left instructions for how she wanted her legacy to be honored. My statement: https://t.co/Wa6YcT5gDi
Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us. She was an American hero, a giant of legal doctrine, and a relentless voice in the pursuit of that highest American ideal: Equal Justice Under Law. May her memory be a blessing to all people who cherish our Constitution and its promise.
Ginsburg spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court's liberal wing and became something of a rock star to her admirers.
Young women especially seemed to embrace the court's Jewish grandmother, affectionately calling her the Notorious RBG, for her defence of the rights of women and minorities, and the strength and resilience she displayed in the face of personal loss and health crises.
Those health issues included five bouts with cancer beginning in 1999, falls that resulted in broken ribs, insertion of a stent to clear a blocked artery and assorted other hospitalisations after she turned 75.
She resisted calls by liberals to retire during Barack Obama's presidency at a time when Democrats held the Senate and a replacement with similar views could have been confirmed.
Instead, President Donald Trump will almost certainly try to push Ginsburg's successor through the Republican-controlled Senate — and move the conservative court even more to the right.