Statement on the Death of Justice Byron R. White
![handle is hein.journals/stflr55 and id is 17 raw text is: Statement on the Death of Justice Byron R.
White
Ruth Bader Ginsburg*
He set a magnificent example for those who will follow. So said a
former law clerk to Justice White. I succeeded Justice White on the Court's
bench, and can confirm the entire accuracy of that statement. Upon my
appointment, Justice White gave me the manual he used to guide work in
chambers. A new Justice could not have had a clearer, more sensible
introduction to the ways of the Court. I have kept the manual current and
expect someday to pass it on to my successor.
At the Hearings on my nomination in July 1993, a Senator asked: In what
ways do you think you might be like or different from Justice White? I
answered: The differences are obvious; he is very tall and I am rather small,
and I surely do not have his athletic prowess. But I hope I am like him in
dedication to the job and readiness to work hard at it. I hold that hope high to
this very day.
I have a special fondness for and appreciation of Justice White for another
reason. In my days as an advocate of equal rights for men and women, I argued
six cases in the Supreme Court and prevailed in five. If it had been up to
Justice White I would have prevailed in all six. He voted for the precise
position I advocated every time. He was the only Justice who did.
Justice White's contributions to the Court and Nation are captured in this
1993 tribute by Senior District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer. In Judge
Oberdorfer's words, Justice White brought to the Court sheer intellectual
power, ... battle-tested courage, the ability of a world-class team player to be
competitive and collegial, exquisitely good judgment, [enormous] capacity to
work and concentrate, ... and a rich experience of living and working at the
cutting edge of his generation's rendezvous with destiny.
3
* Associate Justice, United States Supreme Court. Justice Ginsburg released this
statement to the press on the date Justice White died.](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.journals/stflr55&div=11&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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Statement on the Death of Justice Byron R. White
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