Justices Ruth Ginsburg and Elena Kagan recently spoke at a panel in New York

They discussed the Lilly Ledbetter case, where a 5-4 majority denied a  female supervisor her day in court because she had not met  the strict time limits the Supreme Court imposed for bringing lawsuits alleging workplace discrimination.

Justice Ginsburg read her dissent from the bench, calling on Congress to overturn Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

Justice Kagan called it “possibly the most effective dissent of this generation” because Congress reversed the Court’s decision by passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.  A framed copy of the law hangs in Justice Ginsburg’s chambers, the New York Times reported.

I sponsored similar legislation that the General Assembly enacted.

This past June, Justice Ginsburg was again in dissent when a 5-4 majority defined “supervisor” in very narrow terms in a sexual harassment case, Vance v. Ball State University.

In a few weeks, I will testify on our post-Vance legislation, establishing a broader definition of “supervisor.”

I will let the committee know that Justice Ginsburg has a copy of Maryland’s Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

I was honored to give her that bill at a meeting in her chambers.