Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s family outraged as foundation gives namesake award to Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch after years of only honoring women

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s family has denounced and praised in her name given to Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch, among others.

Since 2020, the Opperman Foundation has awarded the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award to extraordinary people.

Actor Sylvester Stallone, financier Michael Milken and fashion icon Martha Stewart will receive the award this year, along with Musk and Murdoch.

Ginsburg, the legendary late Supreme Court justice, consistently supported progressive positions during her 27 years on the bench.

Her family slammed the foundation’s choice as ‘a violation of the memory of our mother and grandmother’ without singling out the two conservative billionaires.

“Not everyone on this year’s slate reflects the values ​​to which Justice dedicated his career and for which Justice is rightly revered around the world,” they said.

The foundation, Ginsburg’s family said, ‘has strayed far from the award’s original mission and from what Justice Ginsburg stood for.’

“Her legacy is one of deep commitment to justice and to the proposition that all people deserve what she called ‘equal citizenship stature’ under the Constitution,” the family said.

“She was an exceptionally strong voice for women’s equality and the empowerment of women, including their ability to control their own bodies.”

Her family said it had no role in choosing who received the award and wanted Ginsburg’s name removed from it.

Ginsburg was friends with fellow attorney Dwight Opperman and endorsed an award in her name before her death on September 18, 2020, aged 87.

The award originally recognized ‘an extraordinary woman who has exerted a positive and remarkable influence on society and served as an exemplary role model in both principle and practice’.

Musk was honored for his ‘stratospheric achievements’ by the Opperman Foundation

However, the foundation changed the award this year to also be open to men.

“Justice Ginsburg fought not just for women, but for everyone,” foundation chair Julie Opperman said in announcing the awards.

‘Going forward, to embrace the fullness of Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, we honor both women and men who have changed the world by doing what they do best.’

Trevor Morrison, a former dean of the New York University School of Law who clerked for Ginsburg, also spoke against the recipients.

“Each of this year’s award recipients has achieved remarkable success in their careers, and each may well deserve recognition of one form or another,” he said.

“But the decision to bestow on them the special honor of the RBG award is a striking betrayal of Justice’s legacy.”

Morrison said it was ‘deeply troubling’ that they ‘demonstrate none of the values ​​that animated Justice’s career and none of the things that she herself emphasized when she celebrated the inauguration of RBG Award’.

Murdoch was called ‘the most iconic living legend in media’

The Opperman Foundation said it had no response to the criticism of its choices.

It described this year’s honorees as ‘groundbreaking innovators for seasoned veterans across a broad range of professions and industries’.

Stewart was ‘originally shortlisted for potential honourees’, Musk was honored for his ‘stratospheric achievements’ and Murdoch was ‘the most iconic living legend in media’.

Murdoch said in a statement recognizing his award, comparing his work and Ginsburg’s values.

“This recognition not only reflects my journey in the media and publishing industry, but also represents the relentless defense of civil liberties and a commitment to civil discourse that Justice Ginsburg embodied,” he said.