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NYCFPA Statement on the Passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Alyssa Bonk FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tel. 571.232.6804

Date: September 19, 2020

NYCFPA STATEMENT ON THE PASSING OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG

The New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs is deeply saddened by the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg peacefully in her home on September 18, 2020. Few people have done more for women worldwide than Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Well before she joined the Supreme Court, Ginsburg’s work fundamentally changed the Supreme Court’s approach to gender rights. Ginsburg’s work helped to change the way we all think about women — and men. U.S. President Bill Clinton, when appointing her to the Supreme Court, compared her work on behalf of women to what Thurgood Marshall did on behalf of African-Americans.

As her health declined, many advocated for her to step down as the political climate would support a like-minded successor. She affirmed her wish to remain a justice as long as she was mentally sharp enough to perform her duties. Since then, she has continued her powerful advocacy and become a pop culture icon, having the noted “RBG” documentary depicting her life, as well as, “On The Basis of Sex.” She has also been represented by Kate McKinnen on Saturday Night Live.

Ginsburg’s accolades are plentiful including, but not limited to: induction into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, one of the 100 most powerful women, one of Glamour magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ in 2012, and one of Time Magazine’s 100 ‘Most Influential People.’ She leaves a powerful legacy of equal rights in the United States greatly impacting the feminist fights revolution, and starting a legal trend and conversation that was both seen and followed worldwide.

NYCFPA honors her work and her legacy on behalf of all Americans and citizens of the world.

Heather Hughes

Heather Hughes is a fellow at the New York Center for Foreign Policy Affairs. She is utilizing the wealth of experiences gained while pursuing a dual Master’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Haifa, in Israel, and the University of Warsaw, in Poland. Her interest in the spread of disinformation led to her thesis investigating those creating it in a small town in North Macedonia and their strategy for and impact on the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. Heather has seen first hand the influence disinformation can have on the challenges of creating foreign policy, having spent five years working on Capitol Hill in the Office of Senator Orrin Hatch. In her time spent living abroad on five continents and traveling to a quarter of the world's countries, Heather witnessed the implementation of foreign policy with its many intricacies. It has made her realize that in the formation of foreign policy it is necessary to be gentle and aware of the people these policies influence. She is passionate about cultural awareness and democratic values. On the home front, Heather enjoys spending time with her large, extended family and still holds her high school pole-vaulting record.

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