6 year old places ‘Superhero’ doll on growing memorial for late Justice

Image: WJLA

Image: WJLA

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — A growing memorial outside the Supreme Court include flowers, chalk messages and a 6-year-old’s well-loved superhero doll for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The tributes are all for the woman known as the Notorious RBG. Throughout the afternoon Monday, people shared stories with each other, and parents explained to their children what Ginsburg did for the justice system.

“Turn her the other way. She’s Super Woman,” said Karen Brunn to her daughter Sofia Ferris, as she laid down her beloved supergirl doll.

The Arlington residents walked through the growing crowd to add their colorful letter to the memorial. While they didn’t personally know Ginsburg, they said the impact on their lives is significant.

“(Sofia) said she wanted to leave something for (Ginsburg) on her way over and had a handful of dolls, but that was the one she happened to pick out, ironically,” said Brunn.

“For me and all of us at Georgetown, we feel like we lost a family member. It’s an incredibly hard time,” said Bill Treanor, dean of Georgetown Law School.

Georgetown hosted a virtual remembrance ceremony Monday evening. Treanor knew Ginsburg well and said she never missed an opportunity to get back into the classroom.

“You talk about her being an educator, and that was almost by necessity, it was by necessity because she would not get hired by law firms when she graduated. And instead of pushing that aside when she became a justice, she embraced that, it sounds like. She kept on going back,” said ABC7 reporter Victoria Sanchez during a Zoom interview with Treanor.

Six-year-old Ferris might not fully grasp Ginsburg’s impact on the country, but she does know there was something special about the woman she left her doll for.

“When she looks back, what do you hope she remembers about her mom bringing her to the Supreme Court?” Sanchez asked Brunn.

“That’s exactly what we came out to see Rep. John Lewis and to be here to honor RBG is because I hope as an adult, she’ll recognize what momentous events those were and how important those people were for ensuring everybody here in America is treated as equal,” she said.

“It was always, it was a great pleasure to talk to (Ginsburg). One of the lines that I remember is, I said, we were talking about that there are now three women on the Supreme Court, and I said, ‘Is there a goal that you have?’ And she said, ‘Well, nine would be about right.’ It was really, it was terrific,” said Treanor with a laugh.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose at the United States Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday. After a private ceremony on Wednesday morning in the Great Hall, there will be a public viewing outdoors. The public can pay respects from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Sept. 23 and from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Sept. 24.