National Association of Women Judges conference in Newark: Ginsburg speaks on the power of dissent

By Kimberly Atkins The Daily Record Newswire Sometimes it's important to disagree - even against a Supreme Court majority, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg told a crowd of female judges this weekend. Ginsburg, speaking to a crowed of roughly 300 female judges at the National Association of Women Judges conference in Newark this weekend, said that she is not afraid to speak up when she disagrees with a judgment of the Court, the Star-Ledger reports. ''I will continue to speak out in dissent when important matters are at stake,'' Ginsburg said. By example, she referenced her dissent in the case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. Speaking from the bench, she urged Congress to pass a law allowing women to file unequal pay suits if they learn of the pay disparity beyond the 180 filing deadline under federal law. Congress subsequently passed the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act doing just that. Ginsburg said speaking out in dissent can even win over fellow justices. ''On rare occasions, a dissent turns the court and becomes the opinion of the Court,'' Ginsburg said. Published: Thu, Oct 20, 2011