Jimmy Carter: Ginsburg a 'beacon of justice' in long career

September 19, 2020 at 12:30 a.m. | Updated September 19, 2020 at 12:08 a.m.

by Associated Press

In this June 15, 1993, file photo, President Bill Clinton applauds as Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg prepares to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House, after the president announced he would nominate Ginsburg to the Supreme Court. Ginsburg, 60, a federal appeals judge, will fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Byron White. Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women's rights champion who became the court's second female justice, has died at her home in Washington. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
In this June 15, 1993, file photo, President Bill Clinton applauds as Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg prepares to speak in the Rose Garden of the White House, after the president announced he would nominate Ginsburg to the Supreme Court. Ginsburg, 60, a federal appeals judge, will fill the vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Byron White. Ginsburg, a diminutive yet towering women's rights champion who became the court's second female justice, has died at her home in Washington. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)

ATLANTA (AP) - Former President Jimmy Carter said Friday that he and his wife Rosalynn were saddened by the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, praising her as a "beacon of justice" over a long and remarkable career.

In an emailed statement from his spokeswoman, Carter said he was proud to have appointed Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1980 - a step taken long before her 1993 selection for the nation's highest court by another Democratic president, Bill Clinton.

"A powerful legal mind and a staunch advocate for gender equality, she has been a beacon of justice during her long and remarkable career," Carter's statement said. "We join countless Americans in mourning the loss of a truly great woman. We will keep her family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

Ginsburg, who became the court's second female justice, died Friday at her Washington, D.C., home of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said. She was 87.

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