To Have Known Her

The loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is absolutely devastating. It is, quite obviously, devastating for the country. But for those of us who knew her, it is also personally devastating.

I consider it one of the single greatest privileges and honors of my life to have served as Justice Ginsburg’s law clerk. (Each justice has three to four law clerks who help them screen the Court’s petitions and draft opinions. For those lucky enough to be chosen, the clerkship offers an unparalleled experience to work closely with a brilliant mentor and build a lifelong bond.)

In trying to process this loss, I keep coming back to the passage from Deuteronomy that hung on her chambers’ walls:

“Justice, justice thou shalt pursue.”

This drove the justice in all that she did.