Entertainment

Watch Celebrities Recite Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Most Powerful Words

Steve Buscemi, Laura Linney, John Turturro, and more than two dozen others read from the late justice's spiciest opinions and dissents.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and John Turturro
Screenshots from "A Read-In for RBG"

In her 27-year tenure on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg had some real zingers. In tribute to the late justice—who was known for her withering dissents—a host of actors, musicians, and artists recorded some of RBG’s most epic statements. The resulting video, “A Read-In for RBG,” was produced for the ACLU, the National Women’s Law Center, TIME’S UP Foundation, and The Leadership Conference Education Fund.

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The project also serves as a call to action to vote. “In the middle of an election cycle when millions of people have already cast their vote for the president and senators, President Trump, Senator McConnell, and Senator Graham have all prioritized confirming a nominee who would take away healthcare for millions of people, do irreparable harm to Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, and would set back civil rights back for generations,” said Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference Education Fund, in a press release.

Among the opinions and dissents quoted in the video are legendary phrases from Ginsburg on the subject of women’s rights: “I expect to see three, four, even more women on the high court bench—women not shaped from the same mold, but of different complexions,” recite George Takei, Joan Smalls, Roxanne Gay, and Aurora James direct to camera.

“The court does not comprehend…the insidious way that women can be victims of pay discrimination,” intone America Ferrera, Kirk Acevedo, Laura Linney, and Rosie Perez.

“The wisdom of the court’s decision to intervene, and the wisdom of its ultimate determination, await history’s judgment,” add Steve Buscemi, Javier Muñoz, Takei, and James.

The video ends with a voiceover from Morgan Freeman: “Elections have consequences. Vote.”

RBG dedicated her career to protecting the rights of women, people of color, and LGBTQ people. “Her jurisprudence serves as an enduring reminder that the Supreme Court belongs to all of us, not to any party or politician,” Gupta said. “We fight—and vote—for Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, our rights, and our future.”