WASHINGTON – The U.S. Navy plans to name a future ship after Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro revealed Thursday.
In a news release, Del Toro said the ship, a “future John Lewis-class replenishment oiler,” will be called the USNS Ruth Bader Ginsburg in honor of the late justice, who joined the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993 under Democratic President Bill Clinton. Former President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Amy Coney Barrett to the court following Ginsburg’s death in 2020.
>> Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court
“As we close out women’s history month, it is my absolute honor to name the next T-AO after the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Del Toro said in a statement. “She is a historic figure who vigorously advocated for women’s rights and gender equality. As Secretary of the Navy, it is my aim to ensure equality and eliminate gender discrimination across the Department of the Navy. She is instrumental to why we now have women of all backgrounds, experiences and talents serving within our ranks, side by side with their male Sailor and Marine counterparts.”
>> Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead at 87
Del Toro said Ginsburg’s daughter, Jane, will be the sponsor of the ship.
Lewis-class oilers are named for “people who have fought for civil and human rights,” the release said. The lead ship is named after Lewis, the late Congressman and civil rights activist, while the others bear the names of Harvey Milk, Earl Warren, Robert F. Kennedy, Lucy Stone, Sojourner Truth and Thurgood Marshall, according to CNN.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses in her robes after she was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice in 1993.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her husband, Martin.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, her husband Martin Ginsburg, and their children Jane and James sail off the coast of St. Thomas in 1979.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, left, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, talks to Supreme Court nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and her son, James during a break in her confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill in 1993.
President Bill Clinton nominated Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the Supreme Court in July 1993.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg chats with then-Sen. Joe BIden of Delaware during her confirmation hearings in 1993.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, left, sits with the first woman named to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor, and Justice William Rehnquist listen to President Bill Clinton’s State of the Union address in January 1995.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, top row, far right, poses with the other members of the Supreme Court in 1995.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, right, administers the oath of office to Vice President Al Gore in January 1997.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, right, poses with Chilean opera soprano Veronica Villarroel at the White House Project Gala in 2006.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks to law students at Ohio State University in 2009.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks during a discussion on the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington in February 2020.
A video board showing virtual fans includes cutouts of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, center left, and the late Kobe Bryant, center right, during the first half an NBA conference final playoff basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets on Friday night.