Emily Bacha, Vice President of Public Affairs, September 19, 2020
Columbus, Ohio — On Friday, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to be appointed to the high court, passed away at the age of 87. Before she was picked for the court in 1993 and following her appointment by President Clinton, Justice Ginsburg was the architect of the fight for women’s rights.
She was also consequential in decisions protecting our environment. For example, in 2000, she authored Friends of the Earth v. Laidlaw, securing the right of environmental groups to sue big moneyed interests for their reckless pollution. In 2007, she was part of the five-justice majority in the high court’s first-ever ruling on climate change, Massachusetts v. EPA, that said the Clean Air Act gave EPA the authority to regulate greenhouse gases from automobile tailpipes.
The following statement can be attributed to Trent Dougherty, General Counsel for the Ohio Environmental Council (OEC):
“Justice Ginsburg was a pioneer for gender equality, civil rights, and the right of citizens to sue to protect their environment. The legal community lost a champion for the underdog and the nation as a whole. She was a moral compass for us all. Our hearts go out to her family, and all who are feeling and will continue to feel her loss.
“While her death will no doubt be politicized, the Senate should honor Justice Ginsburg’s final wishes. We urge Senator Brown and Senator Portman to protect Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, and not allow a hurried nomination process for mere political gain.”