Joe Biden Delivers A Moving Tribute To Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden was visibly shaken when he delivered a statement offering his condolences over the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away Friday after several bouts with cancer. Ginsburg is known for her court opinions and it was to her legacy that Biden began by paying tribute. In a statement delivered just hours after her death, Biden said, "Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not only a giant in the legal profession but a beloved figure. My heart goes out to those who cared for her and cared about her. She practiced the highest American ideals as a justice: equality and justice under the law" (via CNN).

He continued, "Ruth Bader Ginsberg stood for all of us. As a young attorney, she persisted, overcoming a lot of obstacles for women who were practicing law in those days. She continued until she moved herself in a position so she could end up changing the law of the land, leading the effort to provide equality for women in every field and she led in the advance of equal rights for women." 

Joe Biden said he and the much-beloved Supreme Court Justice go way back, because he was there when she made history. "It's hard to believe but it was my honor to preside over her confirmation hearing. I got to meet her at the time [during her] ascension to the Supreme Court. In the decades since, she has been absolutely consistent and reliable in a voice for freedom and opportunity for everyone. She never failed. She was fierce and unflinching in the pursuit of civil rights of everyone. Her opinions and her dissent will continue to shape the basis for law for generations," Biden said.

Some of Ginsburg's best-known dissenting opinions were penned when she was studying cases which involved gender discrimination and civil rights. In 2013, the late Justice Antonin Scalia said of Ginsburg (they were great friends), "She has done more to shape the law in this field than any other justice on this court. She will take a lawyer who is making a ridiculous argument and just shake him like a dog with a bone" (via CNN).

As a tribute to Ginsburg, Biden noted, "Tonight, and in the coming days, we should focus on the loss of the Justice and her enduring legacy."