RBG Co-Author Amanda L. Tyler Talks New Book “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue”

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had an impact on American life that few Supreme Court justices are ever able to achieve during their careers. Before and during her appointment to the high court, her work centered on fighting for and winning major legal victories in the pursuit of gender equality. NPR’s Nina Totenberg called Ginsburg the chief architect of the legal fight for women’s rights.

She became a powerful voice of dissent on the court against a powerful and long-standing conservative majority. Later in her career she helped establish important protections for vulnerable Americans by joining majorities on major cases such as providing protections for same sex marriages, upholding the Affordable Care Act and banning workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

“One of the things that [Ginsburg] taught her clerks was how important it was to think about how the law affected the real lives of people.” — Amanda L. Tyler, co-author of “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue”

Before her death she was helping to write and curate a new book that would help preserve her legacy in her own words: “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union.” It was co-written by Ginsburg’s friend and former clerk, Amanda L. Tyler.

Listen: Amanda Tyler on what Ruth Bader Ginsburg taught her.

Guest

Amanda L. Tyler is a professor of law at the University of California Berkeley School of Law and co-author of “Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue.” She clerked with Ginsburg during the 1999-2000 term.

She recalls working on not just the landmark Bush V. Gore case but also during that term, there were significant cases tackling race, abortion and the balance of authority between the federal government and state governments.

“What I remember very specifically at this moment, in terms of the clerkship, was how she really modeled how to think about the law, and she also modeled for us how to live a good and full life,” Tyler says. “Watching her navigate how to think about those cases was really incredible. One of the things that she taught her clerks was how important it was to think about how the law affected the real lives of people.”