Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award established to honor her unmatched contributions to the law and society

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's exemplary career and life, the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation today announced the creation of a new leadership award in the Justice's name to recognize an extraordinary woman who has exercised a positive and notable influence on society and served as exemplary role model in both principles and practice. Justice Ginsburg will present the award to its first recipient at a ceremony in February at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. 

"It's a great honor to be entrusted by Justice Ginsburg to create and present this award in her name," said Julie Opperman, chair of the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation. "Justice Ginsburg is a hero of our time. Her influence is felt far beyond the corridors of power, and she is an inspiration to women and girls around the world."

Businessman and philanthropist John J. Studzinski will serve as the Award Chairman overseeing the governance of a six-person Voting Council of leading American philanthropists, entrepreneurs, and legal experts who will select the award recipient, who does not need to be a lawyer or legal scholar. Nominations for the award were submitted earlier this year by a nominating committee of distinguished American leaders.

"It would be hard to imagine a name more worthy of attaching to an award of this kind than Justice Ginsburg," said John Studzinski. "She embodies empathy, humility and concern for the dignity of others. While her prime focus has been on the law, which she has practiced with the most vigorous professionalism and integrity, she has proved determined and tenacious without lapsing into adversarial dogma, and her deep-rooted compassion has always been complemented by realism and rationality."

"The Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award" is the second esteemed award bestowed by the Opperman Foundation. The annual Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, known as the Nobel Prize for the federal judiciary, was established in 1982 and is recognized as the highest honor that is bestowed upon an Article III federal judge in America. Presented each year in the Supreme Court of the United States, the ceremony is opened by the Chief Justice of the United States and chaired by an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Contact: Emily Gest, [email protected], 212-843-8061

SOURCE Dwight D. Opperman Foundation