Thread by @AAPolicyForum

In many of her dissents from cases where the Supreme Court narrowed the scope of Title VII and other anti-discrimination laws, Justice Ginsburg had a common refrain: That even when the Court narrowed people's civil rights, Congress retained the power to expand them.

In LedBetter v. Goodyear, a pay discrimination case, Justice Ginsburg wrote "Once again, the ball is in Congress’ court ... the Legislature may act to correct this Court’s parsimonious reading of Title VII.”

The first bill Pres. Obama signed was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

In Vance v. Ball State, which dealt with workplace harassment, Justice Ginsburg stated "The ball is once again in Congress’ court to correct the error into which this Court has fallen, and to restore the robust protections against workplace harassment the Court weakens today.”

The message was clear: Congress as a co-equal branch of government has not only the power, but the responsibility, to do what is right and legislate to expand the rights of women, African Americans, and all those who have historically been denied the equal protection of the laws.

In her dissent in Shelby County v. Holder, Justice Ginsburg described the passage of the Voting Rights Act as part of a Congressional mission to end racial discrimination in voting that was "long delayed" and "of extraordinary importance."

So as we reflect on Justice Ginsburg’s extraordinary life and legacy we should remember that we still have the power to hold our lawmakers accountable and demand that they fulfill the promise of the 14th and 15th Amendments; the promise inherent in “We the People.”