Washington, (Samajweekly) The US Postal Service (USPS) has released a new postage stamp honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a feminist icon who served for years as the senior-most member of the court’s liberal wing.
In a statement, the USPS said the unveiling of the stamp took place on Monday at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery during a first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony that was open to the public.
Designed by Ethel Kessler, an art director for USPS, with a Michael J. Deas oil painting based on a photograph by Philip Bermingham, the stamp captures the 107th US Supreme Court justice in her black judicial robe and favourite white-lace collar.
“Justice Ginsburg was an iconic figure who dedicated her life to public service and the pursuit of justice,” said USPS Board of Governors Chairman Roman Martinez IV.
“She was a true pioneer, and it is our honor to celebrate her incredible legacy in this way. This stamp serves not just as a tribute but as an inspiration for future generations to uphold the values she fought for.”
The Ruth Bader Ginsburg stamp is being issued as a Forever stamp and is available in panes of 20 at select Post Office locations nationwide and online at the USPS website.
Forever stamps will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail 1-ounce price.
“The stamp will serve as a lasting tribute to the Brooklyn native who has left an indelible impact on American jurisprudence and society at large,” the USPS said in the statement
Ginsburg was a lifelong trailblazer as a woman in a male-dominated field, a law professor, an expert on anti-discrimination and equal protection law, and a judge who was unafraid to dissent from her colleagues in steadfast defense of her principles.
Former President Bill Clinton nominated her to serve as a Supreme Court justice in 1993.
After a 2007 decision upholding a federal abortion procedure ban, she took the unusual step of reading her dissent aloud from the bench, a practice she continued with greater frequency during her second decade on the court.
During her Supreme Court years, Ginsburg battled cancer several times.
Ginsburg died at the age of 87 on September 18, 2020, at her home in Washington, D.C., of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer.
After Ginsburg’s death, she lay in repose for two days at the Supreme Court — outdoors due to Covid-19 restrictions at the time — after which, during a private ceremony.
She was the first woman to lie in state in the US Capitol.
