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"[T]here is hard work to be done at the Court. . . . But I have not missed a W[ashington] N[ational] O[pera] production"

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Typed Letter Signed, to Patrick Daughtry,

explaining that she is rarely able to attend performances at the Metropolitan Opera but, despite a difficult work schedule, she makes time to attend performances at the WNO, Kennedy Center, Washington Concert Opera, and organizes private musical performances for the Supreme Court each term. 1 page, 4to, "Supreme Court of the United States" stationery; horizontal folds.

Washington, 31 May 2007.

  • Notes: ". . . We so seldom attend performances at the Met these days. That is why I am confining my patronage to the Washington National Opera. My clerks and I usually enjoy at least one Opera night together, generally the Young Artists performance of one of the season's productions (this year, Gianni Schicchi). The venue is the Kennedy Center . . . .
    "As you know, there is hard work to be done at the Court. I have taken time out for only one cinema evening the term. But I have not missed a WNO production, and have attended most of the dress rehearsals. We are also enthusiastic supporters of the Washington Concert Opera and the Washington Performing Arts Society.
    "The Court holds at least one Musicale each term, under my stewardship. This term we enjoyed a February 15 recital by Marcello Giordani . . . and, most recently, a May 2 program that included Gordon Hawkins and Elizabeth Bishop, both occasional performers at the Met. . . ."

    Among the important decisions of the U.S. Supreme court during the 2006-2007 term was  Gonzales v. Carhart, in which Ginsburg issued a dissenting opinion while the majority upheld the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003. Ginsburg argued that the majority seemed to ignore the precedent set in  Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Roe v. Wade by grounding the case's reasoning in privacy rather than autonomy.
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November 6, 2025 12:00 PM EST
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