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Annie Stone, 215-409-6687 [email protected]
Merissa Blum, 215-409-6645 [email protected]
THE HONORABLE RUTH BADER GINSBURG TO RECEIVE NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER’S 2020 LIBERTY MEDAL IN CELEBRATION OF 100 YEARS OF WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE
National Constitution Center to present annual award to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg through musical tribute airing live online September 17, 2020
Philadelphia, PA (August 26, 2020) – Today, on the 100th anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, the National Constitution Center announced it will award its 32nd annual Liberty Medal to the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, for her efforts to advance liberty and equality for all. The National Constitution Center will honor Justice Ginsburg through a video tribute in words and music broadcast live on Thursday, September 17, 2020, Constitution Day. The program, featuring performances by internationally renowned opera singers and tributes from special friends of Justice Ginsburg, will be produced by NBCUniversal and will air at 6:30 p.m. EDT at constitutioncenter.org/liberty-medal.
“It is a special honor for the National Constitution Center to award the 2020 Liberty Medal to Justice Ginsburg for her historic efforts to advance equality and liberty for all,” said National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. “It’s especially meaningful to have convened some of the Justice’s favorite opera singers and special friends to offer her a tribute in words and music, describing how she has touched their lives and created what she calls a more ‘embracive’ Constitution.”
The Liberty Medal Ceremony will be the pinnacle of the National Constitution Center’s yearlong celebration of Women and the Constitution honoring the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Throughout the year, the National Constitution Center has hosted a variety of special programs and events, both in person and online, convening America’s top women leaders and scholars to examine the historical and constitutional background of the 19th Amendment and the importance of equal citizenship for women. Today, the Center opens a new exhibit about the triumphs and struggles of the suffrage movement, The 19th Amendment: How Women Won the Vote.
The Liberty Medal, established in 1988 and hosted by the National Constitution Center since 2006, recognizes individuals who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe. Recent recipients have included Justice Anthony M. Kennedy for inspiring Americans through civic education and civil dialogue, U.S. Representative John Lewis for his civil rights legacy, Malala Yousafzai for her work on behalf of young women, and many other distinguished honorees.
The 2020 Liberty Medal is produced by NBCUniversal. The Liberty Medal is made possible thanks to support from Ira M. Lubert and Pamela Estadt, Citizens Bank, and Stradley Ronon, LLP.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York, March 15, 1933. She married Martin D. Ginsburg, and has a daughter, Jane, and a son, James. She received her B.A. from Cornell University, attended Harvard Law School, and received her LL.B. from Columbia Law School. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Edmund L. Palmieri, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and was a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law and Columbia Law School, and served as a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Stanford, California. In 1971, she was instrumental in launching the Women’s Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, and served as the ACLU’s General Counsel, and on the National Board of Directors. She was appointed a Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1980. President Clinton nominated her as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and she took her seat August 10, 1993.
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About the Liberty Medal
The Liberty Medal was established in 1988 to commemorate the bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution. Given annually, the medal honors men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe. A full list of all past recipients is available here: constitutioncenter.org/liberty-medal/recipients.
About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling our congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
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About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate, fulfilling its congressional charter “to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis.” As the Museum of We the People, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As America’s Town Hall, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms. As a Headquarters for Civic Education, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. For more information, call 215-409-6700 or visit constitutioncenter.org.
