[inaudible conversations] good morning. Welcome. My name is luise welby president Acc National Capital Region region i look at me today. On behalf of the chapter i think i can speak for everyone here about exactly how excited and how honored we are to have Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg and former solicitor general ted olson here with us today. [applause] i also want to thank so much James Williams who is a former member of our board of directors , jim vela who was her vp for programming and eileen. Our executive director for all the work that they have put into this event and they deserve a round of applause. [applause] and so with that i want to turn things over to james and he will do the introductions. Thank you. Thank you for this very kind words. Its a tremendous honor to be here today to introduce our guests and its always difficult when you have guests of this caliber to find the right adjectives in terms to describe them. They are few that come to mind. Titans, dedicated, principled, dynamic, engaging, brilliant, thought leaders and pioneers. What has been the most what has been most personally inspiring for me has been the role of the civil rights leaders whether its the fight for racial or gender equality or Marriage Equality or freedom from discrimination based on Sexual Orientation or gender identification. Identification. Both ted and Justice Ginsburg have a assured across all these fronts that are country continues to honor this progress for equal justice for all. Justice ginsburg was founded by president clinton as associate justice of the Supreme Court taking her seat in 1993. Prior to her appointment she served from 1980 to 1983 and up into the United States court of appeals for the columbia circuit. The poorer parts of the banshee was professor of law at Rutgers Law School from 1963 to 1972 and columbias call law school. She has also served on the faculties of the south park summoner of American Cities in the for the humanistic studies and a visiting professor at many universities in the United States and abroad. In 1978 she was a fellow at the center for advanced study and behavioral scientists at stanford california. In 1972 professor ginsburg was instruments and launching the womens rights project of the American Civil Liberties union. Her commitment to civil rights and racial quality and gender equality goes back many decades. Lastly but not basically she has the distinction of having the best nickname in his trip in a Supreme Court justice the notorious rbg. [laughter] that wilson is a partner of the washington d. C. Office office pretend was solicitor general of the United States during 2001 to 20041981 to 1984 he was assistant attorney general in charge of the office of Legal Counsel in the department of justice. He is argued 62 cases before the Supreme Court as prevailed in over 75 . Let me say that again, 75 of those arguments. A remarkable achievement. His cases involve separations of powers federalism Voting Rights the First Amendment equal protection and due process clauses sentencing jury rights punitive damages takings of property the Commerce Clause telecommunications the 2000 president ial election, i think we remember that one. Bush versus Gore Campaign finance mcconnell versus sec and Citizens United samesex mark it marriage and other federal constitutional statutory questions. I am grateful for all they have done. The end of the chat Justice Ginsburg will take a few questions from the audience and will have a chance for you to interact. Without further ado Justice Ginsburg and ted olson. [applause] thank you james and thank you louise. You can imagine what a pleasure it is pardon . Is the microphone working . Can you hear me . You can imagine what a pleasure it is for me an advocate to be able to ask questions of a Supreme Court justice. [laughter] however i suspect you will hear her turn the tables on me very soon after we get started. And at the risk of repeating a couple things that james said about Justice Ginsburg i want to add a word or two of my own before we start our dialogue. I dont know where the fireplace is. [laughter] as james m. Sure felt the toughest thing about introducing some unlike Justice Ginsburg is tempting to say either too much because she has accomplished so much and has led such a distinguished life in our society and our culture or too little because you are do you know who she is and what she has done and you are here to hear from her and not from me. I cant resist the opportunity to say a couple of words about this remarkable woman, her remarkable career and a life that we all admire. I understood this event sold out in one hour and 15 minutes. That is attributed to the fact people have such Great Respect for you Justice Ginsburg. I was limited via five boards in a couple of them came up in jamess introduction i would say commitment, courage, passion and to me most of all warrior. I would like to explain that. Justice ginsburg older sister died when she was six, her mother struggled with cancer throughout her High School Years and passed away the day before her graduation. A very daunting beginning for her. She attended cornell university, was elected to five beta and graduated first among the women in her class. Then harvard law school, one of nine women and a class of 500. When her fellow student has been Marty Ginsburg whom she met on a blind date was diagnosed with cancer, she attended class for both of them, took notes, typed her husbands papers and cared for him and their infant daughter. When he recovered and took a job in yudin new york city she transferred to Columbia Law School pitch he became the first woman to be elected to two major law reviews, columbia and harvard. I saw the picture in the book the rbg book im going to mention in a moment. Two women out of 60 on the harvard law review and they have your picture equally balanced of the two women among the 60 men. First in her graduating class at columbia was turned down for United StatesSupreme Court clerkship because Justice Felix frankfurter as the New York Times reported issue is a woman today she was discouraged she remained undaunted. He is a professor the second woman to join the law faculty at rutgers she founded the womens rights law reporter and later shared the womens rights project. She became the first tenured professor at Columbia Law School where she authored a book on judicial procedure in sweden. After mastering swedish. Somewhere early in our relationship she saw the name olson and she thought maybe that might be swedish and she asked if i could speak swedish. I had to point out that i was norwegian and i didnt speak swedish or norwegian. [laughter] she later transferred the swedish code of several procedure into english. Now, civil procedure is tough enough but in swedish . As an advocate for womens rights and gender equality she change the world page he personally argued six cases in the Supreme Court winning all but one and one a summary reversal in another case without even an argument. In cases that she once started an avalanche for gender equality. Justice ginsburg served for 14 years on the d. C. Circuit and was the second woman after Sandra Day Oconnor appointed to the Supreme Court. She replaced Justice Byron white she is now the most senior of three female justices on the court. Just a word or two more preshe was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1999 and underwent surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. She missed zero days on the bench. In 2005 she was diagnosed with and underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer. 12 days after that surgery she was again back in Court Hearing arguments. Her husband for over 55 years Martin Ginsburg and internationally respected professor and practitioner of tax died in 2010. She was back in court the next day. Just as he would have wanted. You will find out today that Justice Ginsburg has a wicked mischievous sense of humor, so be careful. And i can tell you from personal experience having argued over 50 cases while she was on the bench that she is as well prepared are better prepared than any jurist i have ever experienced. She is often the first justice to break the ice and ask a question. Those questions are penetrating, focused and tough and as an advocate very intimidating. So, i wanted to say those few words about you because i didnt have the opportunity to do this and i thought we would start off with that there is about to be published or it is being published you can tell us today. October 4. Who is paying attention, right . This beautiful book, my own words which has excerpts of Justice Ginsburg speeches, speeches about her, some things about Marty Ginsburg and other things like that. Its got beautiful cover and beautiful pictures in it and im going to ask you to tell me a bit or tell us a bit about the book that first of all i have to do a james did. The other book which is really fun is the notorious rbg which is a fabulous book with all kinds of fun stuff in it and little lessons about how to be Ruth Bader Ginsburg and he can think about that. You are an icon. What justice on the Supreme Court is named after a rapper my wife pointed out of the way here that Baskin Robbins was wanting to name an ice cream, is that what it was . Ben jerrys. I get the ice cream people mixed up. I will eat any of it. Ben jerrys one to name and ice cream roots paid or ginger and i heard something about, this cant be true about a praying mantis. It is absolutely true. Tell me about it. There was a praying mantis named after me. [laughter] does this praying mantis do things that other praying mantis duplex. She is wearing a caller. Tell us about this book, my own words in my own words, tell us about how it came to be and what is in it. This book was originally planned to come out after my official biography. I have two official biographers who chose the speeches and the audibles that are not look. They started writing about me in 2003 and still a work in progress. This was done with my writings and in introduction by mary hoffman and quinn official biographers. They came to me in 2000. Nsaid like it or not people are going to write about you, so you might as well. So far you still trust them . Yes. Oth very i saw anyone of the books the device that you got from your future motherinlaw about marriage quick. The best device ever received on my wedding day his mother took me aside and said the year of with like to tell you the secret of a happy marriage. And the secret was, it helpsbe l sometimes to beat a little deaf. [laughter] that advice i followthrough 60 years of a wonderful marriage and every workplace even my current job is something thoughtless or unkind is said. Works with the Supreme Court . Yes it does for me. What is it like to be such an icon . Noto does it mean to you of there is an opera named after u. S. Justice scalia and the notorious rbg. I think it is amazing that everybody wants to take a picture. [laughter] the notorious rbg is the creation of a second year law student at nyu now graduated and it started with the Shelby County case that declared unconstitutional part of the Voting Rights act of 1955. They were displeased and angry and then said it bought there is somebodyve that i admire that these are useless demotions. Positive and then to put my descent into the Shelby County case. And then to take off into the wild blue yonder. And then one of my law clerks said dino where the notorious rbg comes from . I said of course, they do. The notorious be i g both were born and bred in new york. They were doing it on broadway. So to talk about the opera you are a great lover of shakespeare we have a little bit of time today talking about these things you can ask questions about the Supreme Court by your relationship with the Justice Scalia the lot of people are mystified because you were somewhat opposite ends of the ideological spectrum you served together on the circuit in on the opposite cades cases sometimes Justice Scalia was in such a colorful fashion would be harsh in his language but yet you were great friends. How did that happen . Why were you such great friends . What about life on the court turned . It should not have been surprising they would have known that with a worse exceedingly fond of the opposite side in many cases and then to enjoy his company has i do. And has an extraordinary ability but then when we brought on the d. C. Circuit together with a three judge panel, and he would whisper something to me and all i could do to avoid one laughing aloud sometimes i would have to excuse myself i know my favorite joke but i cannot tell you. [laughter]and it w and watching the opera with him twice and to be a part of the s the seniority is very important in my work place although he was three years younger, he was appointed to the court many years before i was. That is why it is called skill the yen ginsberg is a comic opera in had the World Premiere in virginia last summer in the next production from cooperstown new york in to tell you how it came to me. Talented as a music major in the undecided he wishes will with delegate of the allah. So with a constitutional law course with these two legal opinions from scalia and ginsburg and said they are very funny it is not proper i will give you just a taste of the opening piece. So with starts off in that the justices are blind house candidate constantly spout the constitution and says absolutely nothing but then i explain theres an easy answers because like ours society and then to be locked up in a darkroom. [laughter] and then as in the magic flute then we sing a duet we are different with our approach of thee interpretation in with the fondness of each other with the constitution and the constitution that we serve and civic and the friendship than the relationship maybe we can all learn from that glaxos relationships that have different perspectives and Justice Scalia said you made his opinions better . That you point out those older abilities or weaknesses or try to make what he said your participation . Because this was when you were together on the d. C. Circuit. And then wanted to run the microphone. I was the beneficiary of that relationship more than he was wary wrote that dissent he identified all love this hotspots so it was all as a dissent which was much better than the first draft sometimes he would call me and point out the slick by had made sometimesti have a call him and say why dont you tell net down . You will lose your audience. Just bring down the decibelsst movell. I could tell from men reading that there is the difference when you have to write for the core or dissenting opinion you were other ning that to be a day obviously he did not temper d some of the language in i am thinking of the Marriage Equality case also one of that 25 percentage. Lets talk about that. I had forgotten about that case. With the virginia and military institute and was the all male institution part of the university it was a small component of the system in the theory that some young men needed that male environment to get their bearings. Some of us challenge was in violates the equal protection clause because when women were denied and i argued the case and it was a seven one decision. I got one vote. I had six people and Justice Scalia. [laughter] that was my advocacy was not necessary. Ne but that did not do any more than that. Maybe a story of the aftermath want i had a letter to say that in his life in those of release as tough as he was he had a teenage daughter and she had the opportunity if she wanted to attend. But then i heard from him might keep an the letter i could see it every time what to be lifted up with in a letter was there was some tissue paper and it looked like a toy soldier. S but it was the pen it was a cadet in given to the mother of the free vmi graduate at the graduation ceremony. Pdf my mother died last month. She would want you to have her cadet pen because in some ways you are a grandmother to the future generation. [applause] end incidentally. That is a beautiful story that takes us to the fact you were such a pioneer at every justice of the Supreme Court has argued cases john roberts i feigned argued in you were representing the aclu and one of the earliest to bring these cases about gender equality to deny equal rights to women or men. Thats right. Matzo what was that like arguing those cases . We were be other day it reminded me of