Arjun Desai

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The Ginsburgs

This week, I watched RBG.

It was a wonderful documentary on the life of incredible & iconic Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

My goodness: I was struck how much she gave to us — with her brilliant and ferocious work to uplift women (and many other people along the way).

There was one thing that drew me in: her marriage with her husband, Marty Ginsburg. Their partnership filled me with so much comfort and warmth.

They were different people: Marty, more playful and outgoing, with Ruth, more shy and soft-spoken. But their love was filled with deep adoration, care, and respect.

Stories of how Ruth took notes for Marty until the odd hours in the morning when he was sick, or how Marty became a voracious cheerleader to promote Ruth for her Supreme Court nomination.

At a time where gender norms were extreme, it was incredible to see both of them take such a modern, shared partnership. As it ought to be.

This letter from Marty to Ruth near the end of his days gave me so much light:

“My dearest Ruth – You are the only person I have loved in my life, setting aside, a bit, parents and kids and their kids, and I have admired and loved you almost since the day we first met at Cornell some 56 years ago. What a treat it has been to watch you progress to the very top of the legal world!”