--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of…" description: "\"When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of the Senate and was approved 96-3 to be on the Supreme Court to replace conservative justice Byron White. This..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/sam-brownback-11107_ability_when-ruth-bader-ginsburg-came-in-front-o_1007673.jpg" --- # When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of the Senate and… ![“When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of the Senate and was approved 96-3 to be on the Supreme Court to replace conservative justice Byron White. This is in 1993.Now, Justice Ginsburg, it was noted earlier, was a general counsel for the ACLU, certainly a liberal group. It was abundantly clear…” quote by Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/sam-brownback-11107_ability_when-ruth-bader-ginsburg-came-in-front-o_1007673.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/sam-brownback-11107_ability_when-ruth-bader-ginsburg-came-in-front-o_1007673.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/238/sam-brownback-11107_ability_when-ruth-bader-ginsburg-came-in-front-o_1007673.jpg) > “When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of the Senate and was approved 96-3 to be on the Supreme Court to replace conservative justice Byron White. This is in 1993.Now, Justice Ginsburg, it was noted earlier, was a general counsel for the ACLU, certainly a liberal group. It was abundantly clear during the confirmation hearing that Ginsburg would swing the balance of the court to the left.But because President \[Bill\] Clinton won the election and because Justice Ginsburg clearly had the intellectual ability and integrity to serve on the court, she was confirmed.” [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The appointment highlighted how political and ideological considerations intersect with qualifications in judicial nominations. **In simple terms:** Political and skill factors both mattered in her confirmation. Key Takeaway Recognize both merit and politics in appointments. Themes judicial appointments politics ideology qualifications Mood reflective analytical Type historical political When to use this quote - legal careers - political campaigns - policy debates - court decisions Key Concepts balance of power judicial independence confirmation process Questions to Reflect On - How do political pressures shape judicial selections? - Can merit ever be fully separated from ideology? A Different Perspective Political dynamics can outweigh pure merit in high‑stakes appointments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Approved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approved/) [Bader Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bader-ginsburg-462182/) [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) [Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/byron/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinton/) [Confirmation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confirmation/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Counsel Aclu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/counsel-aclu-2167502/) [Court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/court/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Fronts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fronts/) [Ginsburg Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ginsburg-came-2167501/) [Ginsburg Noted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ginsburg-noted-2167503/) [Groups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/groups/) [Hearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hearing/) [Integrity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/integrity/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Justice Ginsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice-ginsburg-742380/) [Left](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/left/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President bill clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-bill-clinton/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ron-white-216557/) [Ruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruth/) [Senate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senate/) [Supreme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supreme/) [Supreme court](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supreme-court/) [Swings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swings/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) ## Related quotes > [History has shown that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did, in fact, dramatically change the balance of the court in many critical areas, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/history-has-shown-that-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-did-in-fact/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [I guess the language that Justice Ginsburg used at the closing of the VMI (United States v. Virginia Military Institute) case is an important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-olson/i-guess-the-language-that-justice-ginsburg-used-at-the-closing-of-the/) [Ted Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-olson/) > [Justice Ginsburg devoted her life to the law, becoming one of the most respected and influential woman in our time. I appreciate her dedication…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-hyde-smith/justice-ginsburg-devoted-her-life-to-the-law-becoming-one-of-the-most/) [Cindy Hyde-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-hyde-smith/) > [I voted for Justice Breyer and Justice Ginsburg. Not because I agreed with their ideology, but because I thought they were qualified and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/i-voted-for-justice-breyer-and-justice-ginsburg-not-because-i-agreed/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Justice Ginsburg is a very competent justice, and it is a joy to have her on the court, but particularly for me it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/justice-ginsburg-is-a-very-competent-justice-and-it-is-a-joy-to-have/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [Decision by decision, Justice Ginsburg reaffirmed the ideals of our Constitution and our shared values of fairness, equality, and opportunity. Her judicial opinions on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikie-sherrill/decision-by-decision-justice-ginsburg-reaffirmed-the-ideals-of-our/) [Mikie Sherrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikie-sherrill/) > [Justice Ginsburg is a shining example of how one person can impact our world and truly make a difference. May her memory be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikie-sherrill/justice-ginsburg-is-a-shining-example-of-how-one-person-can-impact/) [Mikie Sherrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikie-sherrill/) > [I went on tour with Ricky Skaggs and his wife, Sharon White, and the White Family in 2015. It was fantastic. They're all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ry-cooder/i-went-on-tour-with-ricky-skaggs-and-his-wife-sharon-white-and-the/) [Ry Cooder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ry-cooder/) > [Think of The Rontourage as the Ron White Channel, where you can see us getting into trouble in all kinds of different places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-white/think-of-the-rontourage-as-the-ron-white-channel-where-you-can-see-us/) [Ron White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-white/) > [I've got nothing against tattoos. I don't have one myself. If I did, it would be right there next to my watch. It would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/i-ve-got-nothing-against-tattoos-i-don-t-have-one-myself-if-i-did-it/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [Ron White was not one of the very first original members of the Motown staff, but eventually he was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokey-robinson/ron-white-was-not-one-of-the-very-first-original-members-of-the/) [Smokey Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smokey-robinson/) > [The first time I heard Ron Whitehead read I felt what I imagine those who heard Abraham Lincoln deliver The Gettysburg Address felt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-amram/the-first-time-i-heard-ron-whitehead-read-i-felt-what-i-imagine-those/) [David Amram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-amram/) > [You cannot make steel until you have made the iron white-hot in fire. It is not meant for harm. Trouble and disease have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/you-cannot-make-steel-until-you-have-made-the-iron-white-hot-in-fire/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [I have long admired Ron Whitehead. He is crazy as nine loons, and his poetry is a dazzling mix of folk wisdom and pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/i-have-long-admired-ron-whitehead-he-is-crazy-as-nine-loons-and-his/) [Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/) > [Ron White is pretty great at what he does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pinette/ron-white-is-pretty-great-at-what-he-does/) [John Pinette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pinette/) ## More by Sam Brownback > [The next president needs to know foreign policy and not learn it on the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-next-president-needs-to-know-foreign-policy-and-not-learn-it-on/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [I always think that the party that offers the most hope and ideas for the future is the party that wins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/i-always-think-that-the-party-that-offers-the-most-hope-and-ideas-for/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [I've been around the government system and believe me it's built to spend. You've got to change the system, otherwise it's like asking a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/i-ve-been-around-the-government-system-and-believe-me-it-s-built-to/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [I enjoyed working with Ted Kennedy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/i-enjoyed-working-with-ted-kennedy/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [We must do everything we can to be more aggressive in confronting Syria about what they are doing in Iraq.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/we-must-do-everything-we-can-to-be-more-aggressive-in-confronting/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [Unborn children can experience pain even more so than adults as the baby has more pain receptors per square inch than at any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/unborn-children-can-experience-pain-even-more-so-than-adults-as-the/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [Among the most famous of these Supreme Court cases of exercise of political power I believe are the cases of Roe V. Wade and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/among-the-most-famous-of-these-supreme-court-cases-of-exercise-of/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [History has shown that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg did, in fact, dramatically change the balance of the court in many critical areas, such as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/history-has-shown-that-justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-did-in-fact/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [Immigration is a volatile issue, but we're in the middle of it now, and probably the worst thing to do is to not do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/immigration-is-a-volatile-issue-but-we-re-in-the-middle-of-it-now-and/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [As I noted to my colleagues in the Roberts' hearings, in a year between 80 percent to 90 percent of the children in America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/as-i-noted-to-my-colleagues-in-the-roberts-hearings-in-a-year-between/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [The historical relationship between Christians and Jews for most of the two thousand years of Christianity has not been good and it's been mostly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-historical-relationship-between-christians-and-jews-for-most-of/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [The court's injected itself in the definition of marriage, deciding whether or not human life is worth protecting, permitting government to transfer private property…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/the-court-s-injected-itself-in-the-definition-of-marriage-deciding/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [ \[Jane\] Roe has made it not only possible, but has found it constitutional to kill a whole class of people, simply because of their… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/jane-roe-has-made-it-not-only-possible-but-has-found-it/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [It is time for the government of China to stop holding innocent religious figures in captivity merely for peacefully protesting China's occupation of Tibet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/it-is-time-for-the-government-of-china-to-stop-holding-innocent/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) > [ To kill \[children in the womb\] makes us all the poorer, insensitive, calloused and jaded. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-brownback/to-kill-children-in-the-womb-makes-us-all-the-poorer-insensitive/) [Sam Brownback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) [Explore all 61 Sam Brownback quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-brownback/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/) [Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/) [Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/) [Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When Ruth Bader Ginsburg came in front of the Senate and was approved 96-3 to be on the Supreme Court to replace conservative justice Byron White. This is in 1993.Now, Justice Ginsburg, it was noted earlier, was a general counsel for the ACLU, certainly a liberal group. 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