Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm98084318
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
Part I of the papers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, lawyer, professor of law, judge, and associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, was given to the Library of Congress by Ginsburg in 1998. A subsequent installment, Part II, was received from Ginsburg in 1999. Part III of the papers was given in several gifts by Ginsburg from 2001 to 2006.
Part I of the papers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg was arranged and described in 1999 by Connie L. Cartledge. Additional material was received and was processed as Part II in 1999 by Cartledge. Material received from 2001 through 2006 make up Part III and was processed in 2010 by Cartledge with the assistance of Maria Farmer, Sherralyn McCoy, and Dan Oleksiw. After Ginsburg's death in 2020, some restrictions expired requiring some material to be separated and filed in a Restricted series according to the series, containers, and folders from which the items were removed. The Restricted series was added and the finding aid revised in 2020 by Cartledge. The finding aid was revised in 2021 by Cartledge.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of Ruth Bader Ginsburg in these papers and in other collections of papers in the custody of the Library of Congress has been dedicated to the public, though Ginsburg retained the rights and interests in her speeches.
Restrictions apply governing the use, photoduplication, or publication of items in this collection. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division for information concerning these restrictions.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: container number, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) span the years 1897-2005 with the bulk from 1970 to 1997. The collection consists of three parts and some topics and time periods are common to all parts. The majority of papers in Parts I and II documents Ginsburg's efforts as an advocate for women's rights prior to her career as a federal judge and an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Part III relates chiefly to Ginsburg's tenure as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Part I of the Ginsburg Papers span the years 1966-1992, with the bulk concentrated in the period 1972-1980. The majority of Part I consists of papers documenting Ginsburg's endeavors to promote women's rights, particularly through her speeches and writings and as general counsel to the ACLU and director of its Women's Rights Project. Ginsburg founded the Women's Rights Project in 1972 to provide "focus and direction" in litigation that would redress discrimination against women and ultimately bring about sexual equality. The papers in Part I consist of three series: American Civil Liberties Union File, Speeches and Writings File, and Miscellany.
The American Civil Liberties Union File, 1967-1980, includes correspondence and memoranda, primarily between Ginsburg and clients, lawyers, clerks, and ACLU colleagues, as well as an array of legal papers such as opinions, orders, briefs, and motions. The series documents many of the constitutional law cases that Ginsburg argued and won against sex-based discrimination, including briefs she coauthored in the first successful gender-based law suit,
The Speeches and Writings File, 1970-1991, consists chiefly of Ginsburg's speeches and articles. Most of the speeches document Ginsburg's efforts as a proponent of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and include some of her statements before various legislatures. Many of the speech texts are typed copies, although a few have emendations by Ginsburg. The articles consist chiefly of printed copies. Worthy of mention is a draft of an article and extensive notes located in the October 1978 Articles file chronicling a trip Ginsburg took with the American Bar Association to China.
The Miscellany series, 1966-1992, relates to Ginsburg's teaching career, with the bulk of the academic files pertaining to her activities at Columbia University. Ginsburg became the first tenured woman law professor to teach at Columbia, and the series contains congratulatory letters regarding her appointment in 1972. The majority of the files reflects her efforts to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed in the United States Congress and its subsequent ratification by state legislatures. In 1982, however, the amendment died from lack of support by several states. Also represented in the files is Ginsburg's appointment in 1980 to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and her possible nomination to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In addition, the Miscellany series includes legal opinions, clippings, and printed matter concerning women's issues.
Part II of the collection spans 1925-1999, with the majority of the items concentrated in the period 1970-1997. The papers supplement the files in Part I and Part III, particularly those concerning Ginsburg's work with the American Civil Liberties Union, her speeches and writings, and her academic career as a professor at Columbia University. The papers in Part II are organized into the following five series: Personal File, American Civil Liberties Union File, United States Court of Appeals File, Speeches and Writings File, and Miscellany.
A chronological file and family papers constitute the bulk of the Personal File, 1946-1999. The chronological file includes personal correspondence, notes, photographs, programs, and newspaper clippings documenting Ginsburg's activities and interests from 1966 to 1999. Most of the correspondence is between Ginsburg and her friends, law clerks, and colleagues from the United States Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. The family papers consist primarily of correspondence and other papers relating to the justice, her husband, Martin D. Ginsburg, and their children, Jane and James, including the latter's academic records and letters from their summers in France.
The American Civil Liberties Union File, 1956-1979, contains material on several cases not represented in Part I as well as additional papers for case files received previously. For example, with respect to the latter category, a substantial amount of new material was received for
The United States Court of Appeals series, 1979-1992, relates primarily to administrative matters concerning Ginsburg's service as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Items include court calendars, clerk instructions, financial disclosure reports, and material pertaining to Ginsburg's investiture ceremony. Files in Part II also complement papers in Part I concerning Ginsburg's appeals court nomination.
The Speeches and Writings File, 1964-1996, comprises about one third of Part II. Most of Ginsburg's speeches and articles relate to women's rights and gender discrimination. The "Books" file includes reviews and promotional material for the text,
The Miscellany series, 1925-1999, pertains principally to Ginsburg's tenure as a professor at Columbia University. Most of the Columbia material consists of lecture notes for various courses Ginsburg taught. Also featured are files pertaining to her work for the Equal Rights Amendment, articles written by others about sex equality, and papers documenting her travels.
Part III of the Ginsburg Papers spans the years 1897-2005, with the majority of the items concentrated in the period 1980-1993. The papers of Part III consist chiefly of case files documenting Ginsburg's thirteen years as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Other papers, particularly her speeches and writings and files documenting her interest in women's rights, supplement files in Parts I and II. The papers in Part III consist of five series: Personal File, United States Court of Appeals File, Speeches and Writings File, Miscellany, and Sealed.
The Personal File, 1994-2004, includes correspondence, memoranda, email, and printed matter relating to Ginsburg's activities and interests. Most of the correspondence is from her law clerks, reporters, lawyers, law professors, and her colleagues from the Supreme Court. Other files relate to the death of her mother-in-law, Evelyn Ginsburg, and the disposition of her personal papers.
The United States Court of Appeals File, 1945-1993, consists of two subseries: Case File and Office File. The Case File is arranged chronologically by court term beginning in September of each year and therein numerically by case number. Cases are filed by date of last court action. The majority of the cases pertain to administrative law in which the United States or one of its agencies was one of the litigants. The files reflect the wide range of cases heard by the District of Columbia Circuit Court such as civil rights, separation of powers, freedom of speech, environmental law, worker safety and labor rights, and criminal cases. Most of the case files include a conference memoranda written by Ginsburg providing insight into the decision making of the judges. In these memoranda Ginsburg concisely records the views of the judges about the cases and indicates the actions that will be taken by the court. The Case File also includes two cases, filed at the end of the court of appeals files, in which Ginsburg served as a panel member for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The Office File, 1945-1993, contains material relating to Ginsburg's appointment to the court of appeals, reports relating to statistics and unpublished opinions of that court, and miscellaneous opinions.
The Speeches and Writings File, 1985-2005, consists primarily of Ginsburg's speeches about women's rights, her work as a justice of the Supreme Court, and the history of the Supreme Court.
Most of the Miscellany series, 1897-2004, is comprised of lectures and background material relating to the international seminars, conferences, and legal programs in which Ginsburg was invited to participate. Also reflected in this file are topics of interest to Ginsburg such as civil rights, Jewish issues, the judiciary, and women's issues.
The Restricted series contains files removed from the Part II: Personal File series, files from the Part III: Personal File series, and cases removed from the Case File subseries of Part III of the United States Court of Appeals File series.
This collection is arranged in fourteen series in three parts and a Restricted series:
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm98084318
*Restricted folder
Correspondence, memoranda, briefs, orders, opinions, motions, transcripts, depositions, other legal papers, notes, background material, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by case name, client name, or subject, with the majority of the files further arranged by type of material.
Correspondence, speeches, articles, letters to editors, notes, reports, programs, background material, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, memoranda, interviews, legal papers, notes, reports, speeches, calendars, photographs, forms and questionnaires, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, memoranda, notes, date books, photographs, medical papers, programs, newspaper clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and therein chronologically, although the family papers are arranged into two categories, correspondence and other papers.
Correspondence, memoranda, briefs, opinions, other legal papers, notes, background information, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by case name, client name, or subject and therein chronologically, although some of the files are arranged by type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, court calendars, notes, forms and questionnaires, reports, photographs, programs and proceedings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, speeches, articles, letters to editors, book reviews, notes, programs, background material, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, speeches, photographs, forms and questionnaires, travel itineraries, background material, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, memoranda, email (printed), printed matter, and other material.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, notes, bench memoranda, conference memoranda, orders, briefs, opinions, vote sheets, docket book notations, newspaper clippings, and background material relating to cases in which Ginsburg participated as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Arranged chronologically by court term and therein numerically by case number. Two cases relating to Ginsburg's service with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia are filed after the 1992 term.
Correspondence, opinions, notes, reports, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, speeches, articles, forewords to publications, notes, programs, background material, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, memoranda, notes, reports, lectures, photographs, travel itineraries, invitations, background material, clippings, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and therein chronologically.
Correspondence, memoranda, bench memoranda, conference memoranda, opinions, notes, vote sheets, background material, and clippings.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which they were removed.
Correspondence, memoranda, bench memoranda, conference memoranda, opinions, notes, vote sheets, background material, and clippings.
Arranged and described according to the series, containers, and folders from which they were removed; the folder listing at the point of removal is marked with an asterisk.