Governor Cuomo Appoints Commission to Oversee Creation of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Statue

 

Commission Includes Diverse Array of Late Justice Ginsburg's Family, Friends, Esteemed Colleagues, And Other Leaders 

Statue to Memorialize Renowned Jurist in Her Birthplace of Brooklyn  

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today appointed 23 members to a new commission that will oversee the creation of a statue honoring the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The commission includes members of Justice Ginsburg's family, close friends, esteemed colleagues, and other leaders. The commission will provide recommendations to the Governor regarding the artist, design, location and installation of the memorial statue.  

"Last month I announced New York State will honor the life and legacy of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a statue in her native Brooklyn. Now I'm releasing a list of the 19 members that we have appointed to the commission who will oversee the creation of the statue. Justice Ginsburg will forever stand as a singular figure in history, unmatched in her pursuit of justice and equality under the law for all Americans. Only the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg was a tireless champion for women's rights and throughout her lifetime brilliantly navigated a complex landscape of gender-based discrimination to ultimately ascend to the highest court in the land. She leveraged that position to fiercely advocate for equal rights and ensure those who followed in her footsteps would face fewer obstacles along the way," Governor Cuomo said. "Ruth Bader Ginsburg embodied a set of ideals often missing in today's civic dialogue - she showed us reason, empathy and hope. Her legacy as a jurist, professor, lawyer and scholar will endure for generations and we are honored to erect a permanent statue in memory of Justice Ginsburg. Lord knows she deserves it."

The commission comprised of 18 members and 5 honorary members appointed by the Governor includes: 

• Jane Ginsburg, Daughter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Clara Spera, Granddaughter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Mimi Ginsburg, Granddaughter to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Constance Beaty, Artist and Portraitist for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  
• Irin Carmon, Senior Correspondent at New York Magazine and Co-Author of "Notorious RGB: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg."
• Jodie Cohen, Principal of James Madison High School
• Alphonso David, President of the Human Rights Campaign
• Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women's Law Center
• Subash Iyer, Special Counsel for Ethics, Risk and Compliance at MTA and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Judge Robert A. Katzmann, United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• Shana Knizhnik, Staff Attorney at The Legal Aid Society and Co-Author of "Notorious RGB: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg."
• Susana Torruella Leval, Director Emerita of El Museo del Barrio
• Gillian Metzger, Harlan Fiske Stone Professor of Constitutional Law at Columbia University and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Trevor Morrison, Dean of NYU School of Law and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Sonia Ossorio, President of NOW New York
• Anne Pasternak, Director of the Brooklyn Museum
• William Savitt, Partner, Litigation Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Former Clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Nina Totenberg, Legal Affairs Correspondent at NPR

Honorary Members

• Honorable Hillary Clinton, Former United States Secretary of State
• Janet DiFiore, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals and the State of New York
• Letitia James, Attorney General of New York State
• Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
• Gloria Steinem, Feminist Activist and Co-Founder of Ms. Magazine