Hours after sitting on the bench for the announcement of decisions in two of the biggest U.S. Supreme Court cases of the term, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made an appearance at a decidedly lower key event this afternoon: the dedication ceremony for the American Bar Association's new D.C. office.
Ginsburg joined ABA President Laurel Bellows and other officials to unveil the association's new location in downtown Washington. The association sold the 175,000-square foot building it had owned since 1994 in Washington for a little over $69 million in late 2011. The group signed a lease for new office space in a building near Farragut Square in early 2012, but had to wait until this summer to move in.
Ginsburg didn't reference this morning's excitement at the high court. She spoke about her long history with the ABA and her appreciation for its role in pushing for equality for women in the law. "May the association thrive...in its pursuit of justice, equal and accessible to all," she said.
The justice noted that the ABA played an important role in securing her seat on the bench. Both times she was nominated for a judgeship, first to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and later to the Supreme Court, she said the ABA’s high rating of her and its support helped ease her confirmation.
Bellows announced the association was naming one of its conference rooms after Ginsburg, noting that it had named other meeting space in the past after notable Supreme Court justices. She presented Ginsburg with a plaque honoring her service.
Baker & Hostetler and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher are among the association’s new neighbors.
National Law Journal photo by Diego M. Radzinschi.
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