DeBlasio to Rename Bklyn Municipal Bldg for RBG, Cuomo to Honor Her With Statue

By: Ilana Siyance

On Tuesday Sept. 22, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York State will honor the life and legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a statue in Brooklyn. The Governor will soon appoint a commission which will choose an artist, design and location in its selection process.  The Brooklyn-born Supreme court Justice had served from 1993, when she was appointed by President Carter into the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.  President Clinton had then appointed her as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, where she served until her recent death.  Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, after Sandra Day O’Connor.  She became an avid advocate of gender equality and women’s rights, and gradually became part of the liberal wing of the Court.

Ginsburg died on Friday September 18, at the age of 87, after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.  She had continued to work daily despite her multiple bouts with cancer, persevering to serve for 27 years.  “Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg selflessly pursued truth and justice in a world of division, giving voice to the voiceless and uplifting those who were pushed aside by forces of hate and indifference. As a lawyer, jurist, and professor, she redefined gender equity and civil rights and ensured America lived up to her founding ideals — she was a monumental figure of equality, and we can all agree that she deserves a monument in her honor,” Governor Cuomo said.

Last Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio had honored Ginsberg by announcing that the Brooklyn Municipal Building will soon be renamed in her memory.  The Joralemon Street building, which houses city offices, has long been the subject of requests from local officials to change the name.  “We want to make sure we honor her in every conceivable way, and especially in the borough that she came from,” de Blasio said. “What an extraordinary opportunity to say to the people of Brooklyn, ‘Here’s one of your own, who changed the world.'”