Justice Ginsburg discusses tenure, Brooklyn roots

September 12, 2017 By Sophia Tareen Associated Press

In this June 1, 2017 file photo, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg joins other justices of the U.S. Supreme Court for an official group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a crowd at a Chicago college Monday that she’ll remain on the nation’s highest court as long as she can work at “full steam.”

The 84-year-old from Brooklyn briefly addressed her tenure during the opening event of a Roosevelt University conference that largely focused on personal stories about her family, early legal career, the women’s movement and her status as a pop culture icon.

“There’s work to be done,” she told the receptive audience. “I will remain to do it as long as I can full steam.”

Ginsburg was appointed to the high court in 1993 by then-President Bill Clinton.

She didn’t discuss current cases before the court, but said the confirmation process for justices has become too partisan, which is “very dangerous” for a judiciary. She said the “partisan spirit” that prevailed in 1980s and 1990s with voting across party lines has failed recently and hopes Congress will stop the “nonsense” in her lifetime.

When asked how she’s worked alongside justices with whom she disagrees, Ginsburg said it’s simple: “We revere the institution for which we work.”

The event took on a festive atmosphere with standing ovations and loud cheers. One young girl dressed as Wonder Woman. Two women wore T-shirts featuring all three female Supreme Court justices with the caption “Squad Goals.”

Ginsburg’s image has become popular recently, especially after a New York University law student upset about a 2013 decision striking down part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 created an online post citing Ginsburg’s dissent and dubbing her the “Notorious RBG,” playing off the reputation of rapper the Notorious B.I.G.

Ginsburg joked about the comparison, saying their similarities were obvious.

“We were both born and bred in Brooklyn, New York,” she said.