Decisions and Dissents of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Selection

by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Corey Brettschneider (Editor)

National Indie Bestseller

The trailblazing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her own words. Her most essential writings on gender equality and women's rights, reproductive health care, and voting and civil rights, now available in a short, accessible volume as part of the new Penguin Liberty series.

A Penguin Classic

With the Penguin Liberty series by Penguin Classics, we look to the U.S. Constitution’s text and values, as well as to American history and some of the country’s most important thinkers, to discover the best explanations of our constitutional ideals of liberty. Through these curated anthologies of historical, political, and legal classic texts, Penguin Liberty offers everyday citizens the chance to hear the strongest defenses of these ideals, engage in constitutional interpretation, and gain new (or renewed) appreciation for the values that have long inspired the nation. Questions of liberty affect both our daily lives and our country’s values, from what we can say to whom we can marry, how society views us to how we determine our leaders. It is Americans’ great privilege that we live under a Constitution that both protects our liberty and allows us to debate what that liberty should mean.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, Law, Essays, Historical, Feminism

176 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2020

About the author

Ruth Joan Bader Ginsburg (LL.B., Columbia University, 1960; B.A., Government, Cornell University, 1954) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took the oath of office on August 10, 1993. She was the second female justice (after Sandra Day O'Connor) and served alongside two of the women currently serving on the Supreme Court, Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVE RBG and was excited when I saw this selection of her court decisions and dissents. But, I personally found it very hard to read. It's excerpts from some of the cases she's most known for, some of them from before she was on the Supreme Court. The excerpts make for choppy reading and the legal language also makes it harder to read. Overall, I would rather have a book that listed all the court cases she was involved in with descriptions in more layman language than this collection of choppy excerpts. I did like the very thorough Introduction about Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her life and career, but overall there are much better books that showcase all her legal accomplishments.

A quote I really liked:

"The pedestal upon which women have been placed has all too often, upon closer inspection, been revealed as a cage." (p. 7)

[Laura Hoffman Brauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This installment in the Penguin Liberty series (a collection I want to look at more of) collects some of RBG's most well-known majority opinions, concurring opinions, and dissenting opinions during her time on the court as well as several briefs that she wrote for cases that were heard by the Supreme Court before she was a justice. She was a brilliant woman and her writings were able to cut through to the most essential arguments, providing clarity and perspective. She will be missed, but her writings have left a legacy.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

RBG is a badass. Even though the book consists mainly of legal documents, it is still interesting and not too hard to read.

[Annika · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re interested in RBG, law, American politics, American law, politics, or anything like that, this book is for you.

A collection of her majority decisions and minority dissensions from her years as Supreme Court justice, as well as briefs, in three sections focusing on gender equality and women’s rights, reproductive freedom, and voting and civil rights.

[Kathy (Bermudaonion) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent overview of some of the Supreme Court cases RBG authored the Decision on or voiced an opposing view with a Dissent shows how she fought for equal rights and for justice for everyone. The audio is narrated by one of my favorites - Maggi-Meg Reed - and, as always she does an excellent job.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for the free review copy.

“The pedestal upon which women have been placed has all too often, upon closer inspection, been revealed as a cage”

This slim book features some of RBG’s most notable decisions and dissents. It is organized by cases focused on gender equality and women’s rights, reproductive freedom, and voting and civil rights.

Even though almost all of this book is legal writings, it’s surprisingly readable and the perfect length.

Definitely suggest if you’re looking to educate yourself on some notable Supreme Court cases and RBG’s amazing legacy in fighting for justice.

This book is definitely more legal focused on doesn’t really elaborate on her personal life.

[Rachel Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little bit hard to read if I’m being honest but probably because I’m not particularly politically minded (??) but so cool to see some excerpts of her most hard hitting cases! I was so surprised at the nuance of progress when it comes to the legal justice system, so many small wins that added up over her long career.

[BooktothePointe]

I actually DNF this one… it’s a cliff notes collection of snippets of RBG writings. It would be a good intro for someone who’s unfamiliar with her and her legacy, but as a pre law student and enthusiastic follower of hers, it was both lacking and too choppy

[S · Rating 3 out of 5]

honestly it was hard to read with the cuts of her opinions, but still rbg is a girlboss

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

slay and rip RBG

[Chloe Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every word speaks of her intelligence and life-long battle for equality.

[Susan Lenci · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you know me, you know one of my biggest role models is Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg so when I heard there was a book on her written decisions I had to jump on it.
What I like about Decisions and Dissents of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is that it highlights her political arguments made on the bench more so than her life in general. I teach many of these cases in my AP Government class so it was nice reading her word for word dissenting or concurring opinion and seeing the impact it could or did have.
RBG has had a profound impact on equality between the sexes in the United States and her leadership and example has continued this fight today. Through her career Ruth Bader Ginsburg highlighted the insidious ways in which women were victims of sex discrimination and fought for a heightened level of scrutiny to be applied to any laws that specifically treat sexes differently. She started this fight as a lawyer for the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU and continues it today as a justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. This book is a great collection of her decisions and case briefs that show the evolution of her arguments and impact within the legal system of the United States.
Thank you to @penguinbooks and @netgalley for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Rachael Dockery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was somewhat disappointed to discover the the opinions featured in this collection were all excerpts, which provide only an incomplete taste of the Justice's brilliance, both in analyzing complicated, intricate legal questions and in educating the public - not just her colleagues or lawyers - by way of accessible language and analogy.

[TreVontaye Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection of excerpts from Justice Ginsburg’s opinions is, in many respects, a compelling read. The cases chosen highlight the range of her legal reasoning and the sharpness of her pen. For anyone interested in constitutional law, gender equality, or the craft of judicial writing, the opinions here provide plenty of food for thought—sometimes persuasive, sometimes provocative, often both at once.

That said, the question of whether the book is worth recommending depends less on its substance than on its form. The U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions are publicly available, free to access in their entirety. That fact raises the obvious question: what value does this volume add beyond what is already at one’s fingertips?

Here, the editor contributes surprisingly little. Beyond selecting and excerpting the cases, there is minimal contextualization, no sustained commentary, and little interpretive framing that might help readers situate Ginsburg’s thought within a broader legal, political, or historical arc. Without such scaffolding, the book reads less like an interpretive work and more like a curated photocopy of already-available material.

So while the opinions themselves are as brilliant, incisive, and important as one would expect from Justice Ginsburg, the editorial project does not justify itself. If the goal was to make her decisions more accessible, the internet already accomplishes this. If the goal was to illuminate her legacy, then the editorial hand needed to be much stronger.

For that reason, with respect, I dissent.

[Lissibith · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's not much to review here. This book is full of excerpts from some of Ginsburg's most well-known decisions and dissents, in some cases abbreviated, giving the reader a clear view into how she approached the law and the fairness of the promise that America claims to make to all her people.

It's straight from her judicial opinions, so if you're not comfortable with that more formal style of writing, this may be difficult to work through. But as far as decisions go, hers are actually fairly readable :)

I'd read some of these before in their full context, and I think the abridging is done in a thoughtful way. Definitely worth checking out if you're interested in seeing some of these opinions for yourself!

[Kaci Crook · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a compilation of excerpts from RBG’s more famous positions proceeded by a short overview of her life. Selected and confirmed to SCOTUS in 1993, the stances she has taken for the equal treatment of men and women had undoubtedly changed my treatment and experience as a female. It’s a positive reflection on how much can remodel over several decades and a stark reminder that evolution does not occur without consistent confrontation.

“The pedestal upon which women have been placed has all too often, upon closer inspection, been revealed as a cage.”

[Kanishka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her, and as a lover of language, love everything about her vision, what she stands for and how she brought around real change. She argued sexist laws in an alternative way; where she applied cases of sex-based discriminatory laws against men! What a riot and a revolution! Sadly, it does toy a lot with the idea of liberation and what freedom and individuality truly mean - which I think most non-Americans cannot relate with as much. Still learning about her work and life, and of course, reading the actual verdicts. Best place to learn about equality.

[Cristie Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of some of her most essential writings shows how much of an impact Justice Ginsburg has had on our Justice system. As a champion of gender equality, reproductive health care, and voting and civil rights, she has long been a powerful force. I had never read her decisions in her words and this short collection was a great way to truly see the impact she has had on so many different areas.

[Whitney Vario · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love having this in my book collection. When I saw it was being published, I immediately ordered it. Now with her passing, I am even more grateful to have these words, a part of her legacy, on my bookshelf.

"..."We the People" was not then what it is today... So now it includes people who were once held in bondage; it includes women, who were left out of the political community at the start." RBG

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This too-brief selection reveals a bonafide Supreme with a hip-hop moniker whose grasp of the true meaning of "equal protection" makes the current majority look like the dumb-ass punks they are. The Ds and Ds of the notorious RBG also remind that the ongoing tensions between state and federal powers, and the judicial review of same, demand far smarter and more committed legislators and judges than the clownshow that the Congress and Court currently showcase.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Without having a legal background, I was worried this text would be difficult to understand. This wasn’t the case, as RBG’s writing was clear and full of powerful arguments. I enjoyed reading her writings on key gender equality, reproductive freedom, and voting rights cases. Learning the details of her impactful work affirmed my view of her as an incredibly intelligent woman.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admire and have great reverence for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, but reading her writings word for word was so powerful. I've only seen small sections of her dissents or short quotes, so reading her passages in their entirety was an amazing experience. This book is one I'll be coming back to again and again.

[Shania · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book but it was mostly because of justice Ginsburg writing style and arguments, I’m not really sure what the author contributed. There is definitely room for more information on the political context of each case and a (especially for the voting rights stuff) a summary of the big question.

[Kelley Zanfardino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Justice Ginsburg's rationale for and, when called for, witty and scathing dissents, to the decisions handed down by the Court on which she served, reminds us all of the intentions in place when many of the precedents were enacted. Adherence to, or departure from, these precedents is addressed in clear and unambiguous language.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

How fitting, to finish on the day that Justice Ginsburg’s last wish is ignored. This is a nice volume of some of her most impactful opinions, and while I’ve read them before in my legal studies, I’m happy to have them easily accessible for when I need some inspiration.

[Angie Dahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easily digestible way to familiarize yourself with Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s most famous decisions and dissents. Her relentless pursuit for equality is showcased in the various chapters, which are broken down into themes. This was an excellent way to honor her legacy.

[Chelsea Triano · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dissent - a collection of remarks made by RBG in her most iconic worked on cases was riveting to read and dissect as someone familiar enough with each case, but looking for the personalization in them.

[Livie Tberr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to read about some of her more impactful decisions upon the anniversary of her death. Interesting read! I'm very wary of the "do-no-wrong girlboss" attitude that many prescribe to concerning Justice Ginsberg, but I quite enjoyed these selections.

[H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those who seeks to obtain an extended landscape of RBG's landmark cases, this might not be an ideal choice given its limited stretch composed by her fragmented arguments and writer's lean commentaries. But as a handy collection for beginners this selection covers RBG's most compelling arguments on how she struggled to enact a new state of mind on equality in general.

Just a few days ago a shocking leak of Supreme Court draft confirmed Roe v. Wade is about to be overruled, an ill-fated however a destined future dictated by constitutional commitment, as the writer stated "It is American’s great privilege we live under a Constitution that both protects our liberty and allow us to debate what that liberty should be."

As long as this prospect of "liberty" prevails, this "debate" will never come to a halt.

[Jacqueline Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative andcwritten without bias.