 OCTOBER 8 • 2020 | 21

about equality was something 
that I walked into the clerkship 
thinking that that’
s why I want-
ed to be there learning from 
her.
” 
Schlanger wrote a piece for 
Time magazine after Ginsburg’
s 
death, reiterating what kind of 
warrior Ginsburg was for equal-
ity under the law.
“RBG’
s crucial contribution 
to America was as a stalwart, 
eloquent fighter for expanding 
the scope of ‘
We the People,
’
 
pushing the United States to be 
its best self. Whether she wrote 
in majority or in dissent, her 
voice on the Supreme Court is 
irreplaceable,
” Schlanger wrote 
in the piece. 
Jonathan 
Weinberg, a 
professor of law 
at Wayne State 
University, clerked 
for Ginsburg from 
1983-1984, also 

before she was on the Supreme 
Court. He also heard about 
Ginsburg’
s death during Rosh 
Hashanah services on Zoom.
“Before Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 
it was simply taken for granted 
that women, legally, were not 
expected to, did not and could 
not play the same role in soci-
ety as men,
” Weinberg said. 
“Ginsburg wasn’
t the only per-
son to play a part in changing 
that, but she played a tremen-
dously important part in bring-
ing us to a world where it’
s so 
much more taken for granted.
”

ARTIST PAINTS MURAL IN 
HONOR OF JUSTICE GINSBURG
Edward Stross, owner of 

Roseville’
s Gonzo Art Studio, 
painted a mural over a two-day 
period honoring Ginsburg on 
the brick wall of his Gratiot 
Avenue building. Stross was 
influenced by her life’
s accom-
plishments.
“She represents giving peo-
ple a voice,
” Stross said. “She’
s 
a beautiful woman physically 
and on the inside, and once you 
start doing someone’
s portrait 
you’
re able to look in their face 
and their eyes and you’
re able 
to become instantly closer to 
the individual.
”
Stross has been painting 
murals since 1996, but a 
specific mural he made of 
Michelangelo’
s Creation of 

Love years ago led to the city 
ordering him to remove it and 
eventually taking him to court. 
His subsequent experiences in 
the court system gave him a 
new appreciation of Ginsburg’
s 
work.
“The ACLU took the case. It 
went all the way up to the State 
Supreme Court, and I won,
” 
Stross said. “That’
s another part 
of the reason why I did this. I 
really appreciate the high courts 
that correct these decisions.
”
 Stross said he has received 
some abuse online from people 
who weren’
t fans of Ginsburg, 
but he is moving forward and 
weathering the storm, just as 
Ginsburg would.
“She didn’
t allow people to 
determine what her life was 
going to be,
” Stross said. “She 
was a fighter for the underdog.
” 

Jonathan 
Weinberg

“... her voice on the Supreme 
Court is irreplaceable.”

— MARGO SCHLANGER

