“A revived feminist movement,” as described by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

In March, at The University of Toledo College of Law, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a story.

It began in the 1970s, when Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an ACLU attorney who successfully argued that laws treating people differently based on their gender made no sense. It ended with Justice Ginsburg on the bench of the highest court of the nation, authoring the Court’s opinion in a case that Ginsburg saw as the culmination of her own efforts and those of many others – “to open doors so that women could aspire and achieve without artificial constraints.”

“It was my good fortune to be in the right place at the right time, able to participate in the effort to place women’s rights permanently on the human rights agenda in the United States,” Justice Ginsburg told the audience of more than 700 people at Doermann Theater. “I thought you might find engaging a description of what that effort entailed.”

Justice Ginsburg went on to reflect on cases she served on as counsel – including Reed v. Reed and Frontiero v. Richardson. These cases ultimately led to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in another case she appeared in as counsel, Craig v. Boren, that the Court would apply “heightened scrutiny” to laws that were overtly discriminatory based on gender.

Prior to and following her public speech, the Justice gave generously of her time and packed many events into her visit, including a three-hour Q & A session with College of Law faculty members, a Q & A session for law students, a lunch (co-sponsored by the Federal Bar Association) with federal judges in the Sixth Circuit, as well as state supreme court justices from Ohio and Michigan, and the public address in Doermann Theater. During her spare time, she took in a tour of the Toledo Museum of Art.

“The visit of any Supreme Court Justice is an important pedagogical experience for the entire College of Law community,” said Phillip Closius, former dean and current professor. “The value of such a visit is magnified when the Justice is as generous with her time and as insightful with her comments as Justice Ginsburg was. The opportunity for the College of Law community to engage in a dialogue with an individual who is so instrumental in shaping the law is invaluable.”

Closius, who was dean at the time Ginsburg accepted the invitation to visit the College of Law, had first met then-Professor Ginsburg during his days as a law student at Columbia University. Closius was a student in her Sex-Based Discrimination class when some of the cases she discussed in her speech were works in progress. He said many of the traits she displayed as a teacher were evidenced during her visit to the College of Law.

“Personally, Justice Ginsburg was remarkably modest and self-effacing,” Closius said. “She is a truly gracious person who listened carefully to each individual’s question and provided a thoughtful answer. Given her role as an advocate for gender equity prior to becoming a judge, her comments were particularly inspiring for all those who believe in equal rights for men and women.”

Justice Ginsburg was the third U.S. Supreme Court Justice to visit the College of Law in four years. Justices Antonin Scalia and Sandra Day O’Connor visited the College in 2003 and 2004, respectively. Justice Scalia has accepted an invitation to return to the College of Law in the spring of 2007.