Many people contend you’ve “made it” when and if you get to appear on Saturday Night Live. I’d say you made it if you are parodied on the program. It’s been the case for countless luminaries as well as every US president since the show debuted in 1975.
Chevy Chase was amusing portraying Gerald Ford. Darrell Hammond nailed Dick Cheney. Jim Carrey and Tina Fey absolutely cloned Joe Biden and Sarah Palin respectively. And, comedian Kate McKinnon’s parody of Ruth Bader Ginsburg was one of the best.
Ginsburg has been a pop-icon ever since she joined the Supreme Court bench in 1993. Appointed by President Bill Clinton, the diminutive jurist (a mere five-foot one-inch tall) was soon recognized as a judicial juggernaut. That shouldn’t have been a surprise given her background....
Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court following Sandra Day O’Connor. She was also the first Jewish woman to serve. O’Connor was clearly conservative. When appointed, Ginsburg was expected to be something of a moderate. That proved to be a complete misnomer. Ginsburg was an unabashed liberal – particularly when it came to feminist causes.
She first attended Harvard law (where there were just nine women in a class of 500) and then transferred to Columbia graduating at the top of her law class. She made both the Harvard and Columbia Law Reviews. After graduating, she became the first female tenured professor at Columbia Law. A few years later, she was a full professor of law at Rutgers University.
As an attorney, Ginsburg brought six cases in front of the Supreme Court. Five of the verdicts were adjudicated in her favor. Most all her cases involved gender issues. She credits an early secretary for helping guide key verbiage in her legal briefs. The female secretary pointed out that on every page of the legal documents regarding discrimination Ginsburg repeatedly used the word “sex.” The secretary’s point was the word could evoke entirely different feelings by male counterparts. That led Ginsburg to realize the term “gender” would be far more suitable.
In 1993, Ginsburg was appointed the 107th Supreme Court Justice and served consistently for 27 years. Her staunch convictions as well as vocal dissents earned her the memorable moniker, “Notorious RBG.” That name was coined by NYU Law student Shana Knizhnik following Ginsburg’s dissent of a noted voting rights case. Amused by the nickname, when Ginsburg confronted a person or policy, she would playfully say the target had been “Ginsburned.”
Beginning in 2012, Saturday Night Live’s star comedian Kate McKinnon began her parody of Ginsburg on the show’s “Weekend Update” segments. It was an instant hit not only with audiences but with the Supreme Court Justice herself. Ginsburg was reported to have commented about being amused by the parody. (McKinnon and Ginsburg met in 2019 when they both attended an “off-Broadway theater performance. McKinnon was said to be “starstruck” by the justice at the meeting.). Ginsburg died on September 18, 2020 at the age of 87.
While there’s no question about Ginsburg having “made it” by achieving her Supreme Court status, the pinnacle proof of that is the issuance next week of a commemorative First-Class “Forever” stamp in her honor.
The stamp will be released next week on October 2, 2023 at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. It shows a photograph of Ginsburg in her signature robe and lace collar. Her collar wasn’t so much a fashion statement but, by admission, her way of “unapologetically feminizing” what was a traditionally male uniform. The collar is front-and-center in the stamp.
The photograph of Ginsburg by Philip Bermingham is said to capture “her enduring spirit and tireless dedication to upholding the principles of the Constitution.” Admittedly, her expression in the photo suggests she’s clearly someone you wouldn’t want to tangle with.
The new 66-cent “Forever” stamp will be for sale in post offices nationwide in panes of 20 beginning October 3.
To obtain a special First Day of Issue cancel, purchase the stamp at a local post office, affix it to a self-addressed envelope and send that inside a separate envelope to: FDOI —Ruth Bader Ginsburg Stamp, USPS Stamp Fulfillment Services, 8300 NE Underground Drive, Suite 300, Kansas City, MO 64144-9900. All canceled envelopes will be returned via regular mail. There’s no charge for the cancel.
For more collecting information and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.