Jewish U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was awarded $1 million to give to charitable organizations of her choice for her contributions to social justice and gender equality, it was announced on Wednesday.
Ginsburg, 86, won the 2019 Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture.
She was selected from a list of more than 500 nominees, which included some of the world’s most renowned thinkers in various fields, including social science, global justice, animal rights and bioethics.
“Throughout her career, Ginsburg has used the law to advance ethical and philosophical principles of equality and human rights as basic tenets of the USA,” said Berggruen Institute founder and chairman Nicolas Berggruen. “Her contributions have shaped our way of life and way of thinking, and have demonstrated to the world the importance of the rule of law in disabling discrimination.”
Amy Gutmann, president of the University of Pennsylvania and Berggruen Prize juror, added, “By grit and determination, brains, courage, compassion and a fiery commitment to justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg rose from modest beginnings to become one of the most respected and most beloved jurists of our time. She inspires women and men of all ages to realize that a democracy thrives to the extent that it provides every citizen equal footing to achieve their dreams.”
Ginsburg is the fourth person to win the Berggruen Prize since its inception in 2016 and the third woman to be given the award.
The $1 million prize is given annually to “thinkers whose ideas have profoundly shaped human self-understanding and advancement in a rapidly changing world,” according to the Berggruen Institute.