Foundation Backs Away From Trampling The Memory Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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(Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

The Opperman Foundation recently made the news for all the wrong reasons. In 2019, the Foundation partnered with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to create the Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award to honor “women who exemplify human qualities of empathy and humility.” But some of the 2024 awardees — namely Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch — were an affront to everything that the Justice — and the award — stood for.

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But after some well-placed outrage — from RBG’s children, from her former clerk Trevor Morrison, from former award recipient Barbra Streisand — the Opperman Foundation is backing away. Yesterday they announced they’re canceling this year’s awards gala. From the statement:

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“This year we selected leaders in different fields. We honored men for the first time. We thought RBG’s teachings regarding equality should be practiced. We did not consider politics,” Julie Opperman, the chairperson of the org, said in a statement. “Instead, we focused on leaders, who, in their own way, have made significant contributions to society.”

Opperman continued, “It is important to note, that the last thing we intended was to offend the family and friends of RBG. Our purpose was only to remember her and to honor her leadership. And, while we believe each of the honorees is worthy of our respect for their leadership and their notable contributions, the Foundation has decided that the planned ceremony in April 2024 will be canceled.”

Of course, that completely misses the point of the outrage. The gender identities of the honorees is the least of the problems here. Elon Musk publicly endorsed the claim that Jews “push hatred” on white people. That seems like more of a problem for an award named after the Jewish former justice than “Musk is a guy.” But I guess a win is a win.

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @[email protected].

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Courts, Dwight D. Opperman Foundation, Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court