This Is What Ruth Bader Ginsburg Was Worried About In Her Final Weeks

Contrary to the stereotype that lawyers are cold-hearted sharks, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg frequently put the needs of others ahead of her own. When they were both in law school, her husband, Marty, had cancer; Ginsburg cared for him while studying (via Biography). Even in her final weeks, Ginsburg's primary concern was for others rather than for her own comfort.

Amanda L. Tyler, a law professor and mentee of Ginsburg's who co-wrote the recently released Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life's Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union with the late Supreme Court justice, recounted her final phone conversation with Ginsburg to E! News. She revealed that Ginsburg asked about her kids, saying, "She was worried about them and she wanted to know whether they would be going back to school in person or online, because of the pandemic. And then she expressed concern for all children who were being so profoundly affected by the ongoing pandemic."

This, said Tyler, was very telling of Ginsburg's character, calling their final talk last year "a window into who Justice Ginsburg was." She said, "Here she was at the end of her life and she was thinking about others, she was thinking about other people and she was thinking about the future."

Tyler also described Ginsburg as very focused on her work, saying, "She was asking for work when she was in the hospital."

Tyler continued, "She was always thinking about the future. And as people will see in the book, she was very hopeful for the future. She had seen so much progress made in the course of her life...and indeed the book is a resounding affirmance of the fact that she knew we still had so much work to do. But she always believed in the promise of America."