Ginsburg gives isles
a peek at Supreme CourtThe Honolulu Rotary Club gets
to sample the judge's dry wit
Before entering the courtroom, all nine U.S. Supreme Court justices shake hands. On birthdays they have a toast before lunch.
U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg disclosed yesterday some of the "customs that promote congeniality" among the justices, who are often at sharp odds inside the "marble palace."
RONEN ZILBERMAN / RZILBERMAN@STARBULLETIN.COM
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke yesterday at the Honolulu Rotary Club luncheon.
Ginsburg delivered tightly worded insights and dry humor yesterday to a Sheraton-Waikiki Hotel ballroom filled with members of the Honolulu Rotary Club.
She talked about how the justices work long hours under stressful conditions but make a point to conduct themselves in a civilized, respectful manner. She said that above all, the justices each know that the court and the law are higher than they are.
"The Supreme Court is ever so much more important than the individuals who compose the court," she said.
Ginsburg said that before the justices enter the robing room or the courtroom, they shake hands. On days when they hear arguments, they lunch together on cafeteria fare in the court dining room.
And on birthdays they have a pre-lunch toast. Justice Antonin Scalia, the only one who can carry a tune, she said, leads them in "Happy Birthday."
She said their children have held wedding receptions at the court, and her granddaughter celebrated her third birthday there, complete with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
"Despite sharp differences on some issues, we remain good friends. We respect each other and genuinely enjoy each other's company," Ginsburg said, noting they can balance "mutual respect and passionate disagreement."
Ginsburg told of a stressful period after the presidential election when the court was asked for its opinion on how to manage the botched Florida vote recount.
Ginsburg said it was decided on a Saturday that they would hear the case. Written arguments were filed Sunday, and oral arguments were heard Monday. They decided in a 5-4 vote on Tuesday that Florida's varying recount standards were illegal and that there was no time for a more thorough effort. The decision vaulted George Bush over Al Gore for the presidency.
Ginsburg voted with the dissenters who said the decision undermined national confidence in the impartiality of the courts.
She said after the vote, she sent her law clerks to the chamber of Justice Anthony Kennedy to watch how the television media played the decision. She had been at odds with Kennedy over the issue, but she sent her clerks because we "prize the institution over our own egos."
Ginsburg, 70, was nominated by former President Clinton. One of only two women on the high court, she was one of only nine women in her Harvard Law School class. She transferred to Columbia Law School to complete her degree.
Ginsburg noted yesterday that she and her fellow justices are the longest-sitting Supreme Court bench of nine judges since 1823. They have been together 9 1/2 years.
Quoting another justice, Ginsburg said during the question-and-answer period that "the court should not be affected by the weather of the day, but by the climate of the era."
She noted that the civil rights and women's movements, in which people marched for their beliefs, happened long before there were key court decisions on the issues.
"If citizens don't care about liberty and freedom, no court can protect them," Ginsburg said. "But if they do (care), the court can protect our most cherished beliefs and preserve them."
