Dinners With Ruth

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933-2020) was an American Supreme Court Justice. Raised in New York City, Ginsburg studied at Cornell University and then attended Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, where she graduated in 1959, tying for first in her class. After working as a law professor, Ginsburg served as a judge on the District of Columbia Circuit for over a decade until President Clinton nominated her for the position of Supreme Court Justice, which she began in 1993. Ginsburg is best known for her work on the Supreme Court, where she was the second female Justice, after Sandra Day O’Connor. Over her 27-year-long tenure as a Justice, Ginsburg solidified her reputation as a liberal judge who helped to reshape American legislation by striking down laws that discriminated on the basis of race or sex.

In Totenberg’s work, in which she draws on over 50 years of friendship with Ginsburg, Ginsburg is portrayed as a loyal and supportive friend whose intelligence and compassion were foundational to both her professional and personal life. The author characterizes Ginsburg as reserved, stoic, but gifted in holding meaningful conversations and an intentional and consistent approach to maintaining friendships and work relationships. While much of Ginsburg’s career is well-known and celebrated in liberal circles, Totenberg’s work sheds light on Ginsburg’s perspective on more controversial aspects of her career, such as her nuanced opinion on Roe v. Wade and abortion rights and her fateful decision to not resign during President Obama’s presidency. The author also provides more personal details about Ginsburg’s life, including her relationships with other Justices, her marriage, and her daily life as an elderly Justice trying to balance work and health treatments amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the Trump presidency.

Celia Bader was Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s mother. Bader’s parents were immigrants from Poland, and Bader worked in New York City’s garment industry. According to Totenberg, Bader helped to finance her brother’s and husband’s educations and always encouraged Ruth to aspire to academic excellence. Bader’s goal was for her daughter to become a history teacher, which she felt was an achievable dream and fulfilling career. In her work, Totenberg credits Celia Bader with helping to expose a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the arts at a young age since, in spite of her low income, she always took her daughter to see performances and book readings for children. Bader passed away from cancer shortly before Ginsburg graduated from high school at the top of her class, a tragedy that Totenberg presents as one of many challenges Ginsburg had to endure in order to achieve personal and professional success. While Bader did not survive to see her daughter surpass her own expectations of success, Totenberg makes it clear that Bader’s influence and high standards helped shape Ginsburg.

Martin D. Ginsburg (1932-2010) was Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s husband. The couple met as undergraduate students at Cornell University and married in 1954. In her work, Totenberg describes Marty as a funny, personable, and extroverted friend and partner. Totenberg credits Marty Ginsburg with being an influential force in supporting his wife’s career, pointing out how he used his connections in government to help her attain the position of judge on the Washington, DC, Circuit, and later her nomination to the Supreme Court. Totenberg explains, “Marty began a quiet campaign on behalf of his wife […] collecting a binder of letters in support of his wife’s nomination […]. [H]e facilitated calls to the White House from members of Congress, campaign donors, and anyone who could help” (124). In her work, Totenberg also captures Ginsburg’s perspective on her husband, especially in regard to her career as a lawyer and judge. She quotes Ginsburg as saying, “The remarkable thing about Marty was that he cared that I had a brain […]. So, Marty was a revelation to me and throughout my life. I certainly wouldn’t be here today if not for Marty” (10). Totenberg’s extensive stories about Marty help the reader understand the pivotal role he played in Ginsburg’s life as her constant companion, as well as a source of substantial professional support.

David Reines is an American surgeon and Nina Totenberg’s second husband, whom she married in 2000. In her book, Totenberg presents David as a loving and supportive husband and emphasizes his close friendship with Ginsburg. The author was pleased that she, David, Ruth, and Marty could be a compatible “foursome,” with David and Marty always doing the cooking (167). As a doctor, David was a confidant to Ginsburg as her health declined, and the two shared a close relationship. Totenberg observes that when she married David, it changed the dynamic of her friendship with Ginsburg, who had previously been a source of comfort and support for Totenberg as she grieved her first husband’s death. Totenberg recalls how marrying David rejuvenated her social life, as they both greatly enjoyed the Ginsburgs’ company.