Pancreatic Cancer Research

Supreme Court Announces Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg from Pancreatic Cancer

Justice Ginsburg’s long-standing career began in 1980 when she was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a position she retained until her appointment to the Supreme Court. During her illustrious career, she was an ardent supporter of gender equality and women’s rights and an inspiration to the cancer community as she faced her own cancer diagnoses.

In 1999, Justice Ginsburg was diagnosed with colon cancer. Determined to remain on the bench during her diagnosis, she underwent surgery followed by chemotherapy and radiation. A decade later, she faced another difficult diagnosis: pancreatic cancer. Fortunately, the disease was caught early, which is often not the case with pancreatic cancer, and Justice Ginsburg was able to continue on with her duties.

“In recent years, as her health deteriorated, she was seen as a pillar of strength and perseverance in the cancer community,” Kaplan said. “She will be remembered fondly not only for her imprints on the American judicial system, but as one of the great trailblazers of her time.”

As the fourth-oldest Supreme Court Justice, Justice Ginsburg will be remembered as a woman of integrity who fought for gender equality and made significant legal advances for women. In 1954, she earned her B.A. in government at Cornell University and earned her law degree from Columbia Law School in 1959. During her undergraduate years, she met her husband Martin Ginsburg, whom she married shortly after graduation. The couple was married for 56 years before Marin passed away from complications from metastatic cancer.