Description
A Virtual CLE Celebrating the Career of an Extraordinary Jurist
RBG CLE: Ethics is a Continuing Legal Education session, accredited for two hours of Elimination of Bias. It is anchored by Supreme Court cases emblematic of the brilliance of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s career, first as an attorney arguing in front of the Supreme Court and later as a Justice. Justice Ginsburg proved time and again that she was a force to be reckoned with, and there is no better evidence of her tenacity and quickness than in her oral and written arguments. Justice Ginsburg displayed keen insight and wisdom for the entirety of her 27 years on the Supreme Court, and was among the most avid questioners on the bench. Oral arguments and decisions – dissenting, concurring, and majority opinions – are performed verbatim by Sally Wingert, Mixed Blood favorite and Twin Cities legend. Additionally, documentary film excerpts of Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be peppered throughout the session.
Historically significant gender-based cased are center stage, with reenactments being followed by panel discussions with renowned Minnesota jurists and lawyers, facilitated by Chris Carlson of Narrative Pros. Those cases include:
As ACLU attorney:
Califano v Goldfarb: a 1977 decision by the United States Supreme Court, which held that the different treatment of men and women mandated by 42 U.S.C. § 402(f)(1)(D) constituted invidious discrimination against female wage earners by affording them less protection for their surviving spouses than is provided to male employees, and therefore violated the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
Kahn v Shevin: a 1974 Supreme Court decision ruling that state tax law cannot be held to be arbitrary if it discriminates in favor of a certain class because of certain differences in the class or the state policy which do not clash with the federal constitution.
As Supreme Court Justice:
United States v. Virginia: a 1996 landmark case in which the Supreme Court struck down the long-standing male-only admission policy of the Virginia Military Institute.
Shelby County v Holder: a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of two provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Section 5, which requires certain states and local governments to obtain federal preclearance before implementing any changes to their voting laws or practices; and Section 4(b), which contains the coverage formula that determines which jurisdictions are subjected to preclearance based on their histories of discrimination in voting. RBG wrote the Dissent.
Olmstead v. LC: a 1999 Supreme Court case regarding discrimination against people with mental disabilities.
Burwell v Hobby Lobby: a 2O14 decision[1][2] in United States corporate law by the Supreme Court allowing closely held for-profit corporations to be exempt from a regulation its owners religiously object to, if there is a less restrictive means of furthering the law’s interest, according to the provisions of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). RBG wrote the Dissent.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent a lifetime flourishing in the face of adversity before being appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she successfully fought against gender discrimination and unified the liberal block of the court. She became the first female professor at Columbia to earn tenure. Ginsburg also directed the influential Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union during the 1970s. In this position, she led the fight against gender discrimination and successfully argued six landmark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Ginsburg took a broad look at gender discrimination, fighting not just for the women left behind, but for the men who were discriminated against as well.
Ginsburg accepted Jimmy Carter’s appointment to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980. She served on the court for thirteen years until 1993, when Bill Clinton nominated her to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Guthrie stalwart Sally Wingert portrays Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Wingert is a local legend, appearing on Broadway as well as all of the major stages of the Twin Cities and beyond, garnering numerous Ivey Awards for her acting acumen.
RBG CLE: Ethics is a virtual presentation, being offered on Zoom on April 8 from 8 – 11 AM. Accredited for two Elimination of Bias hours, it costs $180.
