"PLEASED TO BE THE CIRCUIT'S NEW JUSTICE…": EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION OF THREE SIGNED AUTOGRAPH LETTERS ON SUPREME COURT STATIONERY WRITTEN AND SIGNED BY JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG TO SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK CHIEF JUDGE DAVID N. EDELSTEIN AND HIS WIFE
GINSBURG, Ruth Bader. Three autograph letters signed. Washington 1995, 1996, 2000. Three stationery notecards and mailing envelopes with Supreme Court letterhead, each 6-1/2 by 4-1/2 inches; pp. 5. Housed in a custom cloth portfolio.
Most exceptional collection of three signed autograph letters written by Ruth Bader Ginsburg to long-time Southern District of New York Judge David N. Edelstein, reminiscing about her clerkship and expressing her happiness at being appointed to the Supreme Court; thanking Edelstein for his "kind words"; and sharing warm memories of the late Edelstein with his widow.
During her 27-year tenure on the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Ginsburg came to be a cultural icon, known for her liberal holdings and unabashed feminism. On her death, Chief Justice John Roberts acknowledged her "historic stature" and lauded her as a "tireless and resolute champion of justice." This collection, housed in a handsome custom portfolio, includes three autograph signed letters on personalized Supreme Court notecards from Ginsburg to her colleague, longtime Southern District of New York Judge David N. Edelstein. The first note, dated May 9, 1995, reads: "Dear Judge Edelstein, Sorry the down-to-the-minute schedule of yesterday's dinner left hardly a moment to spend with you. But at least your presence brought to the front of my mind grand memories of my 1959-1961 clerkship with ELP [Edmund L. Palmieri of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]. Please to be the Circuit's new Justice and look forward to Judicial Conferences with Second Circuit colleagues. Every good wish to you, Ruth." The second autograph letter, dated October 2, 1996, reads: "Dear David, Honored + encouraged by your kind words. With appreciation, Ruth." The third autograph letter, dated August 22, 2000 and addressed to Edelstein's widow, reads: "Dear Florence, I am among the legions of jurists who had the good fortune to know and learn from David is our early days at the Bar. He lived greatly in the law and was a model of judicial independence. May you and all your family carry on, in life and enjoyment of each other's company and love, as David would have willed. Mary joins me in expressing our sympathy to you and your sons, Ruth." Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David N. Edelstein were friends and colleagues for much of their careers. Edelstein was appointed a Judge of the Southern District of New York by Harry Truman in 1951 and went on to become the last serving judge appointed by Truman. Ginsburg likely met Edelstein at the Southern District, during her formative clerkship with Judge Palmieri. Edelstein was perhaps best known for his commitment to Teamsters litigation, specifically in attempting to keep the Teamsters free of corrupt influences. Additionally, Edelstein was known for his significant and lengthy (over 40 years) involvement in antitrust litigation against IBM. A common theme emerged during his long tenure on the court—an absolute distaste for greed and corruption, an attitude that Ginsburg shared. This collection serves as a testament to the strength of their friendship and their shared legal purpose, reaching beyond Edelstein's death in Ginsburg's touching sympathy letter to his widow that notes Edelstein's commitment to justice and the law.
Faintest soiling to edge of first notecard. About-fine condition. Rare.