FILE: LONG BEACH, CA - OCTOBER 26: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg attends California first lady Maria Shriver's annual Women's Conference 2010 on October 26, 2010 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns are weighing in on the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Friday at the age of 87.
Justice Ginsburg died at her home of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, according to a statement from the court.
One of the first Utah responses came from Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who spoke of meeting Justice Ginsburg.
As a young attorney in the 1970s, Ginsburg argued six cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. She won five. During the 1970s, she was also a volunteer attorney and board member for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
On Friday, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said the occasion of Ginsburg’s death should be a time of reflection.
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall expressed shock upon the death of Justice Ginsburg, calling her a trailblazer:
And Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson expressed similar comments, writing, “Justice Ginsburg broke ground and glass ceilings at the same time. She fought for equality and justice and never backed down in the face of opposition.
“She is a hero to me and millions of other women who looked to her as a North Star for her principled leadership. We will miss her more than we realize today, and we should all mourn together for the loss of a great American treasure,” Wilson said.
When Justice Ginsburg was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court in 1993 she became the second female, and the first Jewish female, to attain that position. As such, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes noted Justice Ginsburg’s “historic impact” on the Court.
