Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: My Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union

by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Amanda L. Tyler

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s final book offers an intimate look at her extraordinary life and details her lifelong pursuit for gender equality and a “more perfect Union.”

In the fall of 2019, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg visited the University of California, Berkeley School of Law to honor her friend, the late Herma Hill Kay, with whom Ginsburg had coauthored the very first casebook on sex-based discrimination in 1974. During Justice Ginsburg’s visit, she shared her life story with Amanda L. Tyler, a Berkeley Law professor and former Ginsburg law clerk.

Their intimate conversation is recorded here in Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue, along with previously unpublished materials that detail Ginsburg’s long career. These include notable briefs and oral arguments, Ginsburg’s last speeches, and her favorite opinions that she wrote as a Supreme Court Justice (many in dissent), along with the statements that she read from the bench in those important cases. Each document was carefully chosen by Ginsburg and Tyler to tell the litigation strategy at the heart of Ginsburg’s unwavering commitment to achieve “a more perfect Union.”

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an advocate and jurist for gender equality, ensuring that the United States Constitution leaves no person behind and allows every individual to achieve their full human potential. Her work transformed not just the American legal landscape, but American society. As revealed in these pages, Ginsburg dismantled long-entrenched systems of discrimination based on outdated stereotypes by showing how such laws hold back both genders. With her death, the country lost a hero whose incredible life and legacy made the United States a society in which “We the People,” for whom the Constitution is written, includes everyone.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Memoir, Politics, Law, Feminism

278 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2021

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

[Samantha]

It looks like I'm the first person to add this to my Goodreads, so I just came here to say thank you so much to Justice Ginsburg for a life's work of fighting and bringing others to join her along the way. I'm about to graduate law school this year from Justice Ginsburg's alma mater and I'm eager to follow in her tiny and big footsteps by trying to make the union just a little more perfect. Looking forward to reading this book once it comes out (or if anyone wants to send me an advanced copy . . . I would be thrilled to provide a real review!)

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Happy Women's History Month!]

2020 was quite the year (a huge understatement). It seemed like our lives were in upheaval from many directions all at once—from COVID-19 shutting everything down (and when “essential” organizations reopened, changing their way of operation) to whole continents and states literally being on fire. Amidst all this societal upheaval, the legal world was rocked by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September from complications of cancer, a figure who seemed invincible, having survived many previous encounters with cancer before and returning to work as soon as she could each time.

This perceived invincibility and relentless pursuit of justice for the many is a central part of both her life and legal career as surveyed in Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union (2021), a joint project by Ginsburg and her former law clerk, Amanda Tyler. While focusing primarily on Justice Ginsburg’s progressive legal philosophy informed by her upbringing, education, and previous role as a women’s rights advocate where she had to fight an uphill battle against seemingly insurmountable systemically-embedded gender discrimination, this book gives readers a more comprehensive view of Ruth Bader Ginsburg the person as well.

While reading around the many legal citations in Ginsburg’s written opinions (with some of the more notable ones being her dissents) was a bit challenging at times, the persistent reader is rewarded with not only an appreciation of Ginsburg’s formidable intellect, but also her effectiveness at making her case with the prescient marshalling of evidence of the real-world consequences of laws and the legal philosophies and precedents at hand that informed them, that the justices and legal scholars tended to discuss in the abstract.

This approach led to groundbreaking changes to address gendered discrimination in many aspects of the law by revealing how this kind of discrimination is detrimental to both women and men. The results of these legal decisions laid the groundwork for the greater freedoms women are gaining in the public sphere and which those of my generation can take for granted. I was fortunate not to grow up knowing a world in which women had to fight tooth-and-nail to merely get their feet in the door. Not that gendered or racial discrimination are dead. That work continues to this day to combat pernicious and more subtle forms of the latter systemic evils by working to open that door further for women and people of color.



That’s the message I think Ginsburg was trying to convey here. I can’t help but feel she is handing me (and many others) the baton, that she is saying, “It’s your turn now.”

RIP Justice Ginsburg. You will be missed.

-Cora

See also: My Own Words (2016) by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (2015), and Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law (2020).

Find this book and other titles within our catalog.

[Angela Tucker · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a social worker and someone who admired RBG, I went into this book hoping for more details about RBG, her upbringing, her schooling, family life, personal perspectives about her career and triumphs, etc. The book is heavy in case review, leaving me feeling like I was taking a law class. While the cases are important landmarks in the fight against sex-based dsicrimination, summaries would have sufficed for me. For much of the book, I skimmed. Honestly, the best parts of the book for me were the intro, interview near the beginning, and of course the photos.

[Ellen Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

By Ellen Sue Spicer-Jacobson, www.menpause.info

If you want to know where Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG) gets her straight-shooter mentality concerning court cases, you can read her three chosen cases in the new book Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue. If you want to know who inspired her to be the best she could be as a lawyer and human being, you can read about her role models (ex. Justice Brandeis) in this same book, Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue.

Finally, if you want to look at RBG’s life in photos, you can browse through Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue for beautiful color plates and clear black and white photos of RBG, her husband Marty, her children, and the many other photos demonstrating that Justice Ginsburg was a human being who lived with passion and pursued justice until her last breath on September 18, 2020. (The number 18 is a special number in Judaism because it is the numerical counterpart to the word for LIFE in Hebrew [chai], pronounced Khai). She also died on Rosh Hoshana, the Jewish New Year, and as quoted in USA Today, here is why her death date is so memorable. NPR reporter Nina Totenberg explained this Jewish tradition on Twitter: "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 & were the most righteous."

Helping RBG put so much effort into this last written piece by Justice Ginsburg is one of her clerks (1999-2000), Amanda L. Tyler. She is a Professor of Law at University of California, Berkeley School of Law, where she teaches and writes about the Supreme Court, federal courts, constitutional law, and civil procedure. (Her writing is excellent in this book.) Tyler’s voice is heard throughout the book, but none more poignantly than her Afterword in October 2002, soon after RBG’s death from cancer. As Tyler writes: “It is impossible to put into words how devastating her loss is for those of us who were lucky enough to know her….Justice Ginsburg was a national treasure—someone who through her life and work made ours a better, more just society.”

Tyler notes that on the wall in RBG’s chambers is the passage from Deuteronomy: “Justice, Justice thou shalt pursue,” which became the title of the book:.” As Tyler notes: “This calling drove Justice Ginsburg in all she did.” On my own writing “chamber” above my computer is a photo of RBG in her robe and favorite white collar around her neck with this quote by her:
“Fight for the things you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

She has inspired me to become a more compassionate, concerned human being and I will treasure this book with her life’s work explained in a way that is “contagious.” She is truly an American hero, avid feminist, conscientious lawyer and loving daughter, wife, mother, and mentor — a legend in her own time. I believe her passion was derived in large part from her own personal and professional issues in finding a job after college (shared first place in her Columbia University class with another student) because she was:

1. A woman when few women were lawyers.
2. A Jew in a world that is still anti-Semitic.
3. A mother, when having a child and being a (new) lawyer was considered an impossible combination.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave her very best years in the pursuit of justice for others, and inspired many to be the best of who they are, no matter their color, creed, or social-economic status. This book is a great addition to anyone’s reading list, to every private and public library, and to every high school and college, not only for lawyers-to-be, but for all students who pursue a career and a life to make this country a more perfect union.

JUSTICE, JUSTICE THOU SHALL PURSUE is published by University of California Press in Oakland, California and costs $26.95. It is a Naomi Schneider book. The authors note that they “share the compassion, commitment, and creativity of Executive Director Naomi Schneider.” And Naomi sent me this comment about her part in the book: "I'm so honored to be associated with a book co-authored by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Her lifelong battle to secure more equitable gender rights provides a model of indefatigable activism and commitment to social justice that inspires us all."

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

THEMES:
*US CONSTITUTION SHOULD LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND 8

*HOW SMART GINSBURG WAS TO TAKE ON CASES WHERE MEN HAD BEEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST 4;

*LAWYER, FEDERAL JUDGE, SUPREME COURT JUSTICE WORKED FOR GENDER EQUALITY & FORMING A MORE PERFECT UNION; 1

*OUTMODED GENDER STEREOTYPES SHOULD RETAIN NO PLACE IN THIS COUNTRY’S LEGAL FRAMEWORK 13;*****************************

*WHEN RUTH WAS BORN, LAW SAID IF WOMAN STOOD ON ABSOLUTELY EQUAL PLANE WITH A MAN, IT WOULD STILL BE TRUE THAT SHE IS SO CONSTITUTED THAT SHE WILL REST UPON AND LOOK TO HIM FOR PROTECTION. 2

*IN 19TH CENTURY, A STATE REFUSED TO LICENSE A MARRIED WOMAN TO PRACTICE LAW; ONE JUSTICE SAID THAT THE NATURAL AND PROPER TIMIDITY AND DELICACY WHICH BELONGS TO THE FEMALE SEX EVIDENTLY UNFITS IT FOR MANY OF THE OCCUPATIONS OF CIVIL LIFE; I.E., JURY DUTY. 2 [MOST FRUSTRATING PART IS THAT MANY THOUSANDS (POSSIBLY MILLIONS) OF WOMEN WHO HAD PROVED THIS FALSE DIDN’T ENTER INTO THE DISCUSSION]

*THE NEED TO CONFRONT UNCONSCIOUS BIAS 10 [”Unconscious bias – judgments and behaviors toward others that we're not aware of – is everywhere in our lives. And while this type of bias may seem less dangerous in the workplace than it may be on the streets of Ferguson, Mo., or in a courtroom, it still leads to racial injustice.Apr 16, 2015” & “ For example, another study from the University of Warsaw, found that women described with feminine job titles (e.g. “chairwoman”) are perceived (by men) to be as significantly less warm and marginally less competent than women with masculine job titles. And men reported that they were less likely to hire these women.” FROM HBR.ORG

3 WAYS TO IMPROVE BIAS:
“First, by realizing and accepting that we all have bias, we can learn to watch for it in ourselves and help others who work with us to do the same. This process of building awareness is similar to what happens when we step on the clutch in a standard transmission automobile. The motor doesn’t stop running (bias doesn’t stop), but the car is no longer moving forward. When we are on the lookout for biases, they are less likely to blindly dictate our decisions.

Second, we have to develop tactics that help us make decisions more consciously. There are three types of approaches that can help: priming; reorganized structures and systems; and new forms of accountability. Ask yourself:
Does this person’s resume remind you in any way about yourself?”

“Does it remind you of somebody you know? Is that positive or negative?”

“Are there things about the resume that particularly influence your impression? Are they really relevant to the job?”

“What assessments have you already made about the person? Are these grounded in solid information or are they simply your interpretations?”

“Finally, you can put new forms of accountability in place so that it becomes clear when bias is occurring. For example, if a manager gives 10 performance reviews, five to men and five to women, and four out of the highest five are women, it should at the very least call for an inquiry into whether there might be a pro-female bias in the process. It might be total coincidence, but it is worth checking. You might get input from some colleagues who also work with the people being rated and see if they make the same evaluation.” HBR.org


PEOPLE:
*JOAN RUTH BADER GINSBURG 15 MAR 1933 - 18 SEP 2020
SUPREME COURT 1993-2020; SHE DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF LEGAL PROFESSION BECAUSE WOMEN WERE NOT THERE; 2
1 OF ONLY 9 WOMEN IN HER HARVARD LAW CLASS OF OVER 500 Ss; BUT GRADUATED COLUMBIA LAW 3; JOINED RUTGERS LAW SCHOOL FACULTY WHERE SHE WAS PAID LESS THAN MEN BECAUSE SHE HAD A HUSBAND WITH WELL-PAID JOB; HER CAREER OF GENDER EQUALITY WAS COMPARED WITH THURGOOD MARSHALL’S WORK TO DISMANTLE SEGREGATION;
MOTHERHOOD GAVE HER LIFE BALANCE 3
1980 CARTER NOMINATED RBG TO US COURT OF APPEALS FOR DC; 5
1993 CLINTON NOMINATED HER ASSOC JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT & 03 AUG 1993 SUPREME COURT (SC);
HER HEROINES= ELIZABETH CADY STANTON, HARRIET TUBMAN, SUSAN B ANTHONY 5


*MARTIN “MARTY” D. GINSBURG, HUSBAND, HAD CANCER IN 3RD YEAR AT HARVARD LAW;


*JANE GINSBURG (RUTH’S DAUGHTER)
*?, RBG’S MOTHER WHO WAS A BOOKKEEPER IN GARMENT DISTRICT;

*AMANDA L. TYLER - COAUTHOR & PROF OF LAW AT UC BERKELEY;

* ” In a sense, then, RBG’s lifetime work is an aggregated living monument to her classmates: their struggles, their victories, and their legacies. Their stories are written right into the doctrine, as the fight continues to build equality into the Constitution and the justice system—to which each of these women, in different ways and to varying degrees, dedicated their lives. —Dahlia Lithwick “
SLATE ARTICLE ON 9 OTHER WOMEN IN THE LAW SCHOOL CLASS= https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2...
FAMOUS CASES:
*FRONTIERO V RICHARDSON (FIRST ONE SHE ARGUED BEFORE SUPREME COURT) 4
*MULLER V OREGON 4
*HOYT V FLORIDA 4
*MORITZ V COMMISSIONER OF IRS RE: MORITZ WAS DISALLOWED CAREGIVER TAX DEDUCTION HIS FEMALE EQUIVALENT WOULD HAVE BEEN ALLOWED 4

RBG’S FAVS:
****US V VIRGINIA (MILITARY INSTITUTE) NO LONGER JUSTIFY DENYING OPPORTUNITY TO WOMEN WHOSE TALENT AND CAPACITY PLACE THEM OUTSIDE THE AVERAGE DESCRIPTION OF WOMEN 6

****RBG DISSENTED RE SHELBY COUNTY V HOLDER ABOUT VOTING RIGHTS AACTS OF 1965

****LILLY LEDBETTER V GOODYEAR FAILED SO RBG TOLD CONGRESS TO FIX IT; B/C DIFFICULT FOR EMPLOYEE TO UNCOVER FACT THAT SHE IS VICTIM OF SYSTEMIC GENDER-BASED WAGE DISCRIMINATION; THEY PASSED LEDBETTER FAIR PAY ACT SOON AFTER 7 ????BUT HAS IT HAD ANY EFFECT??????????

****RBG ALSO DISSENTED IN BURWELL V HOBBY LOBBY RE: CHASTISED THE COURT’S MAJORITY FOR PERMITTING COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES THAT EMPLOY WORKERS OF DIVERSE FAITHS TO OPT OUT OF PROVIDING CONGRESSIONALLY MANDATED CONTRACEPTIVE COVERAGE BASED ON EMPLOYERS’ RELIGIOUS BELIEFS...B/C SC RECOGNIZED DECADES EARLIER THAT ABILITY OF WOMEN TO PARTICIPATE EQUALLY IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE OF NATION HAS BEEN FACILITATED BY THEIR ABILITY TO CONTROL THEIR REPRODUCTIVE LIVES, RBG SAID: EMPLOYERS RELIGIOUS BELIEFS COULD NOT BE WIELDED TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE RIGHTS OF THEIR EMPLOYEES 7;


*RBG ARGUED: STATUTE PREFERRING MEN TO WOMEN IN ESTAGE ADMIN, AUTOMATIC DISCHARGE OF PREGNANT USAF OFFICERS, FEDERAL STATUTES GRANTING DISPARATE BENEFITS TO MALE AND FEMALE MEMBERS OF MILITARY, AUTOMATIC EXEMPTION OF WOMEN FROM JURY POOL, DENYING OF EQUAL SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS AVAIL TO MALE SURVIVING SPOUSES, LIMITATIONS OF ASSIGNMENTS AVAIL TO WOMEN IN NAVY; 4
*RBG CHASTISED HER COLLEAGUES FOR FURTHER LIMITING THE REACH OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT’S CONTRACEPTIVE MANDATE AND LEAVING POTENTIALLY HALF A MILLION WOMEN WORKERS TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES 9;
*CITIZENS UNITED V FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION 10
*WIESENFELD 11

US CONSTITUTION:
* 5TH AMENDMENT = GENDER DISCRIMINATION HOLDS BACK BOTH MEN AND WOMEN FROM REALIZING THEIR FULL HUMAN POTENTIAL 11;

* 14TH AMENDMENT REQUIRES STATES TO LICENSE AND RECOGNIZE MARRIAGES BETWEEN PERSONS OF THE SAME SEX 8

FAMOUS PEOPLE:
*WOMEN ON SC= SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR 1ST WOMAN 1981-2005;
RBG 1993-2020;
SONIA SOTOMAYOR 2009-PRESENT
ELENA KAGAN 2010-PRESENT
AMY CONEY BARRETT 2020 - PRESENT
*PROFESSOR KAY - HERMA HILL KAY 9
*SARAH GRIMKE’S SHOWSTOPPER LINE: I ASK NO FAVOR FOR MY SEX. ALL I ASK OF OUR BRETHREN IS THAT THEY TAKE THEIR FEET OFF OUR NECKS.” 10
*JUSTICE BRANDEIS 12


FAV QUOTES:
*IN ANOTHER CASE, SHE UNDERSCORED THE IMPORTANCE OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES AACT AND CONGRESS’S RECOGNITION THAT ‘INCLUDING INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES AMONG PEOPLE WHO COUNT IN COMPOSING ‘WE THE PEOPLE’... WOULD SOMETIMES REQUIRE NOT BLINDFOLDED EQUALITY, BUT RESPONSIVENESS TO DIFFERENCE; NOT INDIFFERENCE, BUT ACCOMMODATION.” 8

RESEARCH:
*SUPREME COURT PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE XI

GRANDS & GREAT GRANDS:
*CLARA WROTE IN 2018: Most people who wear “You Can’t Spell Truth Without Ruth” T-shirts or sport “I Dissent” tote bags might not be able to name any of them or point to a specific opinion she’s written on the Court since. But they don’t need to. They know that her search for justice and for legal and social equality has been relentless. She doesn’t have one case or moment that has defined her career. Instead, to many, she’s a feminist icon because of her tireless persistence at inching us all closer to equality.

VOCABULARY:
*HAGIOGRAPHY (IN SLATE ARTICLE) = BIO OF SAINT

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book is NOT a memoir nor an autobiography, it did provide a fascinating look at the professional career of a woman dedicated to righting the skewed white male bias of the American legal system. However, this book is probably more of interest to those in the legal / court system, as it focuses heavily on her legal briefs and dissents. It did encourage me to delve into other books about RBG; in particular, I enjoyed reading about the woman she was in her roles as daughter, wife, mother, and friend. The other books I read, or will read, are "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" (Young Readers' Edition), Author: Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik; Dinners With Ruth, A Memoir on the Power of Friendships", Author: Nina Totenberg; and "Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life", Author: Jane Sherron DeHart. Also, the movie based on the early legal career of RBG, "On the Basis of Sex", and the documentary, "RBG" are both highly recommended!!

[Ann Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides a look into the process of writing, documenting and presenting oral and written positions taken by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in several contexts. There are the 3 presentations she made in oral arguments before the Supreme Court, a series of written descents she made in disagreement with the majority decisions of her Supreme Court colleagues after she became a Justice herself, and a few talks she gave on occasion. She collaborated in editing and writing this book with Amanda L. Tyler, a former law clerk who also provides material from an interview with Jerad well as introductions to each chapter. RBG passed away prior to completing the book.
There are 3 sections to each chapter: the introduction by Ms Tyler, the writing by RBG, and information about the case precedents cited. There is a lot of repetition of information in this format which I found tedious but might be of greater interest to others.

[Kalle Wescott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read /Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union/, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Amanda Tyler:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outloo...

Amanda Tyler was a law clerk for RBG long ago, and has interviewed RBG on stage on multiple occasions. Ms. Tyler and RBG submitted this book for publication three weeks before RBG died.

The book contains a brief history of RBG's life (and that of Chef Supreme Marty Ginsburg, RBG's husband), and then goes to subject material of RBG's speeches, her presentations before the Supreme Court when she was an attorney fighting for equality for women, and then a number of RBG Supreme Court opinions, both in the majority and minority.

Super-interesting and highly recommended!

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book held true to its subtitle but was not at all what I hoped for or expected. This was sent to the publisher just prior to the death of RBG and was written by RBG and Amanda Tyler, a one time law clerk to Ginsberg and present law professor.
The majority of the book consists of 3 cases Ginsberg handled prior to being associate justice, 4 cases she handled and wrote decisions about while an associate justice and some speeches she made. There is not a great deal about Ginsberg, the person, as I had hoped. Instead, there is an interview of Ginsberg by Tyler and an introduction and afterword by Tyler which sometimes duplicates the cases she handled as an attorney and as an associate justice.
RBG merits a better biography. This would better serve an inspiration for OneL law students.

[Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

For many of my generation (read baby boomers), I have a tendency of failing to remember where we were as a country only 50-60 years ago. This book forcefully reminds us of how far we have come as a nation-state in that period of time, but also how far we still have to go to achieve "a more perfect union". Ruth Bader Ginsburg was at heart a teacher all her life, and her writings reflect her desire to always gently (or forcefully) instruct an audience whether of students, newly sworn in immigrants or members of one of our three branches of government.

This is NOT an easy read. But it is a worthwhile one for anyone interested in learning more of the progress of "We the People" in our past three score of years.

[Grace Revenaugh Dreyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of interviews, speeches, legal briefs/opening argument/dissenting opinions. It really does give you a good look into RBG's life in a way that feels authentic to what she would have written for herself. The woman was so practical and focused, it's hard to imagine her feeling it would be helpful or necessary to write out a narrative of her life. I had to use my brain to read some of this, and I am better for it. Also felt like I got educated on some of the big legal cases for the last 50 years, which helps me to be a more informed person/citizen and understand the nuances of these cases which affect all our day-to-day lives. I feel inspired in fighting the battles of our own times. Highly recommend.

[Ashlynn Harrison]

I am not applying a rating to this simply because this book is not really "authored" by anyone. This book is a collection of RBG's work, hand selected by RBG herself and a Berkeley Law professor and former Ginsburg clerk, Amanda Tyler. While this book is excellent in showing RBG's career progression – highlighting her oral arguments before the Supreme Court as a litigator, a few of her favorite speeches, and of course, her dissents – there is not much writing in this book. I should have read the summary more before reading, to be completely honest.

I only recommend this book to folks who are truly interested in RBG's work, and also willing to read Supreme Court briefs.

[Karen Terney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommend this book as an island of sanity and aspiration. It will probably be banned.

There was a lot of detail about the law that was somewhat confusing for someone without legal training. However, hearing RBG’s voice explaining her reasoning was worth the detail. Also, hearing logic and reason during this time of chaos on the news and many, many speeches that are filled with hate made hearing this an island of sanity in my day.

RBG was extremely resilient. People who aspire to be resilient and live through this chaos and get back to a time when the constitution is respected and followed will appreciate this book.

[Sharron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this. I did not. I loved how her dissents demolished the reasoning(?) behind the mjority's opinion.

The introduction to the book is so repetitive I almost stopped there. Briefs and legal opinions are rather dry to read, but it was made more painful because each section had an introduction too. The co-author would redundantly quote what you were about to read...and that was made worse when there was both a bench statement and the dissent.

The last section of a few recent speeches was wonderful.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be a book that only a former appellate lawyer could love--but I do! It's a collection of RBG's speeches, briefs, bench statements, and opinions in cases she considered most significant. What a thinker, and what a writer--if only she could have lived another few years. Justice Ginsburg's dissenting opinion in Shelby County v. Holder (the case that emasculated the Voting Rights Act) should someday reflect the majority reasoning of the Court and is absolutely brilliant. She deserves every accolade she has received.

[Kimberly Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I totally respect and admire RBG, most of this book was very technical (the legal briefs and dissenting opinions) and highly repetitive (Here's what this legal brief/opinion is going to be about. Here's RBG's thoughts on the legal brief. Now here's the actual legal brief for you to read. And we'll talk about it again in a little bit...).

[Lindsay McBride · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a challenging book for me, but I learned a lot from it and really enjoyed it. Once you get used to the way to read legal jargon it is fascinating and I am even more impressed by Ginsburg’s ability to craft arguments. Her structure, ability to see below the surface, and use of precedents are beautiful and it made me a lot more interested in the Supreme Court.

[Sarah Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

It'll make you nostalgic for a time when we had a decent Supreme Court. I listened to it on Audible. The book is mainly recordings and transcripts of the Justice Ginsburg's seminal cases. Good if you're interested in court cases, but perhaps very boring if you're not. If you're looking for something by the Justice that is more autobiographical/memoir, I'd recommend My Own Words.

[A.T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and compelling book. Great reminder of how recent and how quickly American society has progressed. Undeniably, RBG has greatly influence the opportunities for and perceived value of women in the US. She lived an incredible life both in and out of the court room. Would recommend the read!

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A moving primer on the life and thoughts of a superb jurist and great American. Ginsburg's dissents in Shelby County and Hobby Lobby, included here, are for the ages. Her dedication to working toward a "more perfect union" stands in sharp contrast to the nonsensical "originalism" of some of her colleagues on the Court and the MAGA morons she no longer needs to deal with.

[Diane Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my annual reading challenge, one of my prompts was to read a book by an author who shares my birthday. After searching, I decided that the best choice was RBG. I learned a lot from this book, as it focused on some of the cases of which she was most proud. The best part was that the audiobook provided actual recordings of her discussing the cases.

[Paige Mueller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading RBG's speeches and learning more about some of her landmark cases. The middle section of the book was devoted to the text of some of those cases which was a little overwhelming to read with all of the case references in the footnotes. (Definitely interesting, but not easy reading)

[Susan Poole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Way too technical for me. I was hoping for more of a biography. This contained more of her conclusions, verbatim, almost transcript. I would enjoy yhe layman's version. I believe this would be much more interesting to those who practice law.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Legal content heavy. Not much current by RBG. Mostly rehashing of cases with no updated commentary-possibly because it was just prior to her death. Overall disappointing as someone who is not comfortable reading legal briefs. Not at all how it was marketed as.

[Jonathan Heaslet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful original sources of RBGs own voice, her speeches, arguments before SCOTUS, decisions and dissents from the SCOTUS bench. Only 4* because of the extensive legalese. Of special note is RBGs dissent on the Voting Rights Amendment and Lilly Ledbetter cases.

[Megan L (Iwanttoreadallthebooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. RTC.

[Pam S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Professor Amanda L. Tyler for sharing their conversation and collaborating to write this inspiring, just published book.

[Sara Goldenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

IT WAS PRETTY GOOD !!!

[Kathleen Cressy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some interesting information about the justice's life but mostly a collection of her favorite and most influential court opinions. Other books by and about her would be more engaging.

[Madge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opinions and speeches of RBG. Very tedious reading about cases and consequences.