Yale law librarian's top 10 quotes of the year include 1 by Justice Ginsburg before her death
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
A quote attributed to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before her death has made a top 10 list of quotes for the year compiled by Yale Law School law librarian Fred Shapiro.
Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spera said Ginsburg dictated this message before she died in September: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
The quote was No. 6 on the list that Shapiro compiles for the Associated Press, Law.com reports. President Donald Trump did not acquiesce; he quickly nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court.
The top quote was from Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: “Wear a mask.” The No. 2 quote, “I can’t breathe,” was from George Floyd, whose death in police custody set off protests throughout the country. Floyd died after a Minneapolis police officer pushed a knee into his neck.
Shapiro told Law.com that the same “I can’t breathe” quote was No. 1 on his 2014 list, after the phrase was used by Eric Garner, a man who died after an officer placed him in a chokehold.
Shapiro told Law.com that he could have made the quote No. 1 for a second time, “but I liked the idea of emphasizing a quote that actually saves lives.”
The Associated Press lists the top 10 quotes here. The top five are:
“Wear a mask.” — Dr. Anthony Fauci in a CNN interview
“I can’t breathe.” — George Floyd to a police officer in Minneapolis
“One day—it’s like a miracle—it will disappear.” — President Donald Trump referring to the novel coronavirus in remarks at an African American History Month reception at the White House
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute. And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning?” — Trump in remarks at a White House Coronavirus Task Force news briefing
“I will never lie to you. You have my word on that.” — White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany at her first press briefing
