SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego-area elected officials mourned the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, with county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher calling her death, ``a heartbreaking loss for our country.''
``Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg had a brilliant mind, compassionate heart and deep appreciation for our constitution and what American values should represent,'' Fletcher said Friday. ``I had the great honor to have lunch with her a few years back and was blown away by her intellect and playful spirit.
``As a professor at UCSD, her dissent in Shelby v. Holder is a masterpiece in constitutional law. There will never be another RBG.''
The court ruled in the case that the provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 containing the coverage formula determining which jurisdictions are subject to preclearance based on their histories of discrimination in voting was unconstitutional.
In her dissent, Ginsburg wrote, ``throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet."
Fletcher's wife, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, tweeted, ``My heart aches. We will truly miss the clear vision and leadership of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Rest in Power!''
Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins, D-San Diego, said ``We have lost a major force of our time. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a tireless advocate for justice, a brilliant legal mind, and an outstanding role model for generations of people.
``Like millions of Americans, I join Justice Ginsburg's family in mourning her devastating loss, and honoring her legacy of feminism, equality, and progress.''
Assemblyman Todd Gloria, D-San Diego, wrote, ``Our nation is better, fairer, and more just because of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Today, we pause to reflect on her extraordinary life. Tomorrow, we must do the work to ensure her legacy is not undone. Godspeed Notorious RBG.''
San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez called Ginsburg ``a trailblazing advocate for women and a voice of integrity, justice, and equality on the Supreme Court.''
``Her life has inspired generations to always pursue justice for all,'' Gomez said. ``In her memory, we must keep fighting to make equality a reality in America.''
Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the Supreme Court, nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993.
The Columbia Law School graduate taught at Rutgers and Columbia and was a fierce courtroom advocate of women's rights, making her an iconic figure to feminists and earned her the nickname ``Notorious RBG.''
While heading the Women's Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union in the 1970s, she brought a series of cases before the court that helped establish constitutional protections against sex discrimination.
Ginsburg died at her home in Washington of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court announced. She was 87.
