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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Shares One Of Her Own #MeToo Experiences

Women in the legal profession and beyond who have experienced sexual harassment now know that they have a Supremely powerful ally.

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Sexual harassment has existed for far too long in American society, and given the rise of the #MeToo movement, this weekend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — one of the most well-known feminist icons of our time — decided to share one of her many experiences having to do with unwanted sexual advances.

Justice Ginsburg shared her story with NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg before a packed audience during a Cinema Cafe at the Sundance Film Festival. Totenberg asked Justice Ginsburg if she’d ever experienced sexual harassment in her career, and the jurist replied, “The answer is yes. Every woman of my vintage knows about sexual harassment, but we didn’t have a name for it.” The Los Angeles Times has all of the relevant details:

As an undergraduate student at Cornell University, a chemistry instructor gave her a practice exam.

“The next day on the test – the test is the practice exam,” she said. The instructor had effectively provided her with the answers, “And I knew exactly what he wanted in return.”

Ginsburg didn’t shy away from confrontation about the implied quid pro quo.

“I walked into his office and said, ‘How dare you? How dare you?’”

But not before preemptively taking action during the exam.

“I deliberately made two mistakes.”

Is seems that the Notorious RBG was notorious long before she earned the moniker.

Per Vanity Fair, Justice Ginsburg is an ardent supporter of the #MeToo movement. “I think it’s about time,” she said. “For so long women were silent, thinking there was nothing you could do about it. But the law is now on the side of women or men who encounter harassment, and that’s a good thing.”

Women in the legal profession and beyond who have experienced sexual harassment now know that they have a Supremely powerful ally, and she plans to be around for a long, long time. Justice Ginsburg reported that her health is “very good,” and that she has no plans to retire. “As long as I can do the job full-steam, I will be here.”

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Ruth Bader Ginsburg Wows Celebrity-Packed Crowd at Sundance Film Festival [Vanity Fair]
Ruth Bader Ginsburg shares #MeToo moment about Cornell instructor [Los Angeles Times]

Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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