Ruth Bader Ginsburg Was an Exemplary Justice

The loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a double blow. It will be felt as a personal loss by millions of Americans, and it will stress America’s politics at a moment when its fabric is already threatening to come apart. Consider this a measure of the country’s current plight: What could be sadder than to fear that the death of a selfless and extraordinary public servant is more likely in the coming weeks to divide the nation than unite it?

Justice Ginsburg taught many lessons over the course of her career in the law. One of the most important will be easy to overlook, even though it offers a corrective for the country’s current debility. She exemplified the power of calm intellectual force, patiently applied — and proved that deeply felt disagreement was compatible with discourse and collegiality.