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Gov. Whitmer Orders Flags Lowered to Honor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   

September 18, 2020 

Contact: press@michigan.gov   

  

Gov. Whitmer Orders Flags Lowered to Honor Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg  
All United States and State of Michigan flags should be lowered immediately until interment. 
 
LANSING, Mich. – Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and upon all public buildings and grounds across the State of Michigan to be lowered to half-staff immediately on Friday, September 18, 2020 to honor the life and service of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 
 
“I am truly heartbroken at the news of Justice Ginsburg’s passing,” Whitmer said. “Her intellect, her razor sharp wit, and her lifetime of service to our nation made her an inspiration to millions of Americans.  
 
“I know there are a lot of women who are feeling worried right now about what this means for the future of our country. One thing I learned watching Justice Ginsburg’s fearless battles with cancer and injustice is that you never give up, and you never stop fighting for the values we hold dear as Americans. The best way to honor Justice Ginsburg’s memory is by making our voices heard at the ballot box this November. Register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and return it quickly. Let us turn our grief into action, let us choose hope over fear, and let us find the strength to build a stronger America for everyone.” 
 
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 15, 1933. She graduated from Cornell University before attending both Harvard Law School and Columbia Law School, where she ultimately completed her legal education. 
 
Before she was appointed to the bench, Ginsburg pioneered women’s rights working with the American Civil Liberties Union as founding counsel of the Women’s Rights Project. Her work with the ACLU led to the first U.S. Supreme Court decision in which a gender-based statute was struck down based on equal protection grounds.  
 
In 1980, President Jimmy Carter appointed Ginsburg to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.  
 
In 1993, Ginsburg was appointed by President Bill Clinton, becoming the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court. While on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg was known for her active role in oral arguments and her powerful dissents. 
 
Justice Ginsburg passed away on Friday at the age of 87 years old after battling metastatic pancreatic cancer. 
 
The State of Michigan recognizes the duty, honor and selfless service of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by lowering flags to half-staff. Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.  
 
To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day.  
 
Flags should remain lowered until interment. A follow-up release will be sent to raise the flags.  
 

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