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 her name and awarded it 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 justice of the late Supreme Court, consistently supported progressive positions during her 27 years on the bench.

Her family denounced the foundation’s choices as “an insult to the memory of our mother and grandmother,” without highlighting the two conservative billionaires.

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

The foundation, Ginsburg’s family said, “has strayed far from the original mission of the award 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’ under the Constitution,” the family said.

“She was an extraordinarily powerful voice for women’s equality and empowerment, including their ability to control their own bodies.”

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

Ginsburg was friends with fellow attorney Dwight Opperman and approved an award in her name before her death on September 18, 2020, at the age of 87.

The award was originally awarded to “an extraordinary woman who has made a positive and remarkable impact 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 has changed the prize this year so that it is also accessible to men.

“Justice Ginsburg fought not just for women, but for everyone,” foundation President Julie Opperman said as she announced the awards.

“Going forward, to embrace the fullness of Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, we will 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 out against the recipients.

“Each of this year’s winners has achieved remarkable success in his or her career, and each of them is perhaps deserving of some kind of award,” he said.

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

Morrison said it was “deeply concerning” that they “exhibit none of the values ​​that animated the judge’s career, and none of the things she herself emphasized when celebrating the inauguration of the RBG Award.”

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

The Opperman Foundation says it has had no response to the criticism of its selections.

It described this year’s winners as “game-changing innovators for seasoned veterans across a wide range of professions and sectors.”

Stewart was “the original wish list of potential winners,” Musk was honored for his “stratospheric achievements,” and Murdoch was “the most iconic living legend in media.”

Murdoch said in a statement acknowledging that his award drew comparisons between his work and Ginsburg’s values.

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