March 1, 2002

Louisiana judicial giants topic of Ainsworth Lecture

Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsberg discussed why justices Judah Benjamin, Alvin B. Rubin, Skelly Wright, and John Minor Wisdom were so special.

by Khail Jetha, A'03, Intern in the Offices of Public Affairs and Publications

The second woman to ever be nominated to the United States Supreme Court, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has earned a solid reputation in the legal world as a survivor who brought down walls of female discrimination. It is largely because of her achievements in women's rights that Ginsburg was invited to give the Judge Robert A. Ainsworth, Jr., Memorial Lecture on February 4, 2002. The lecture was titled "Four Louisiana Giants in the Law" and was held at the school of law.

Ginsburg was asked to give the lecture by the Hon. Harry T. Lemmon, L'63, retired Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court in January of 1998; however, Ginsburg was set back by First Court business and colon cancer. After four years, Ginsburg described being able to give the lecture during the Supreme Court recess as "a particular pleasure."

Ginsburg's lecture began with praise for the late Ainsworth as "a wise and good judge whose moderate, consistent, and forward-looking views helped to keep [Louisiana courts] steady during the tumultuous 1960s." Ginsburg continued by speaking of other hallmark Louisiana judges "who might have appeared on Judge Ainsworth's list of the best among lawyers and judges." These judges were Judah Benjamin, John Minor Wisdom, J. Skelly Wright, and Alvin Rubin.

Ginsburg's lecture discussed each judges' individual strengths as well as their contributions to American society. Benjamin, who fled to England after the Civil War, was praised for his work in bringing Louisiana's unique legal system to the international eye, as well as his incredible prowess in British and American courts.

Wisdom was the judge Ginsburg described as "the wisest and wittiest counselor" and for her "the model of what a good judge should be." His reputation anchored by his civil rights opinions, Wisdom became a public figure during the controversial United States v. Jefferson County Board of Education case.

As Chief Judge of the D.C. Circuit Courts in 1980, Wright became renowned for his hard work during such civil rights cases as Brown v. Board of Education and Hohri v. United States, which involved recompense for Japanese-Americans imprisoned during World War II.

The final judge mentioned in the lecture was Rubin, whose work for female rights was not focused on allowing women to be a part of the jury, but rather focused on why women should not be exempt from jury duty. Ginsburg lauded Rubin's description of good judges as "political creatures who put law above politics."

Ginsburg completed her speech in a form reminiscent of Rubin's advice to counselors and their orations, using a quote from Ecclesiastes: "Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in few words."