U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Visit Campus this Fall

October 5, 2019

Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff,

Ruth Bader Ginsbur: Photo credit: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States
I am delighted to announce that we will welcome U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to campus this fall. On Thursday, October 3, Justice Ginsburg and I will hold an onstage conversation at 5:00 p.m. in Johnson Chapel. Justice Ginsburg has also generously offered to meet with students in Cole Assembly Room in Converse Hall at 3:30 p.m. for a review of cases from the last term. The second woman ever appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, and the first Jewish justice since 1969, Justice Ginsburg is well known for her clear voice in support of the constitutional rights of all members of our society.  Her early career as a pathbreaking lawyer in defense of fundamental rights, as well as her nearly forty years as an appellate judge and Supreme Court Justice, have been well-documented in many media, including opera, late-night television, and two feature-length films.

This will be Justice Ginsburg’s second visit to Amherst. In 1991, two years prior to her appointment to the U.S. Supreme Court, Amherst College president Peter Pouncey awarded Ginsburg an honorary degree, citing her “lifelong insistence that inequality for some unbalances a society and makes it precarious for all.” Her unwavering dedication to righting that imbalance over the course of her lengthy and principled career as a jurist has made Ginsburg not only a pioneer for gender equality but an inspiration to all who seek to address systematic injustice.

The fireside chat with Justice Ginsburg in Johnson Chapel will be a ticketed event open to Amherst College community members. Questions from the audience will be invited. Tickets can be reserved on the event webpage at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 19. Because we expect Johnson Chapel to be full to capacity, the talk will be live-streamed to the Amherst College webpage (Amherst College login required) and to Stirn auditorium, where ticketed overflow seating will be available. We anticipate that faculty members may host livestream-watching gatherings. Further details on that will follow. We will announce the sign-up process for the afternoon seminar closer to the event.

I anticipate a rich, enjoyable, and engaged community dialogue with Justice Ginsburg in October. Meanwhile, I look forward to seeing you on campus for the start of the new academic year.

Warmly,

Biddy

Photo credit: Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States