NATIONWIDE — Supreme Court justice and champion of women’s rights Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday due to complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said. She was 87 years old.
Chief Justice John Roberts mourned Ginsburg’s passing. “Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice,” Roberts said in a statement.
Soon after news of Ginsburg’s death broke, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle also took to social media to honor the justice’s lifetime of work.
In a statement, President Donald Trump called Ginsburg a "titan of the law."
"Renowned for her brilliant mind and powerful dissents at the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg demonstrated that one can disagree without being disagreeable toward one's colleagues or different points of view," Trump said. "Her opinions, including well-known decisions regarding the legal equality of women and the disabled, have inspired all Americans, and generations of legal minds. ... May her memory be a great and magnificent blessing to the world."
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Ginsburg was not only a "giant" in her profession but also a "beloved figure."
"She practiced the highest American ideals as a justice: equality and justice under the law," he told reporters. "And Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us."
In a statement, former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush said that they are "fortunate to have known this smart and humorous trailblazer" and sent their condolences to Ginsburg's family.
Former President Barack Obama shared a picture of himself and Ginsburg walking on the White House lawn with an accompanying euolgy: "Over a long career on both sides of the bench––as a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist – Justice Ginsburg helped us see that discrimination on the basis of sex isn’t about an abstract ideal of equality; that it doesn’t only harm women; that it has real consequences for all of us. It’s about who we are – and who we can be."
"Justice Ginsburg inspired the generations who followed her, from the tiniest trick-or-treaters to law students burning the midnight oil to the most powerful leaders in the land. Michelle and I admired her greatly, we’re profoundly thankful for the legacy she left this country, and we offer our gratitude and our condolences to her children and grandchildren tonight," he added.
Hillary Clinton, whose husband, then-president Bill Clinton appointed Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in 1993, said she "paved the way for so many women, including me."
Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's running mate during the 2016 presidential elections, called Ginsburg a "giant" whose legacy would live beyond the court system.
Bernie Sanders, senator and former candidate for president, said Ginsburg would go down as one of the great justices in American history.
Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw, a Republican who represents the state’s 2nd congressional district, honored Ginsburg’s “true life of service.”
Former Democratic candidate for president Pete Buttigieg hailed Ginsburg as a “titan of justice,” adding that “her example now shines within the history of our country, there to inspire generations.”
Rep. Jackie Speier, a Democrat who represents California, said America lost an “Icon of untold proportions, a feminist with the steeliest spine, and a jurist of remarkable talent, legal precision, and a yearning for justice for all.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar remembered Ginsburg as a woman "way ahead of her time."
The tributes continued to roll in from representatives across the country, including Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, U.S. senate candidate Theresa Greenfield of Iowa, Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, and beyond.
Even Hollywood weighed in on the tragic news, with stars from Julia Louis Dreyfus to Patton Oswalt to Lucy Liu lamenting Ginsburg’s loss.
Oprah Winfrey said that they "bowed in prayer" at her house "for her Full and filled life and legacy."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.