Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is pretty much the best. At 81, she’s cooler than I could ever hope to be. I would very much like to be her friend. Or she can be my mentor/life coach. Either way, you should all aspire to be friends with RGB too, and here are just a few of the reasons why.

She’d Be a Great Drinking Buddy

This article was inspired by the comments Ginsburg made yesterday about why she looked so sleepy at last month’s State of the Union.

RBG is my spirit animal MT @voxdotcom I wasn’t “100% sober” at the State of the Union http://t.co/dpXnb4gwPupic.twitter.com/jTbVqyBolE

— Erin K. Stabile (@erinkstabile) February 13, 2015

She explained that she wasn’t “100 percent” sober, after she had enjoyed a “very fine California wine” brought to dinner by fellow Justice Anthony Kennedy.

That’s right, kids, our Supreme Court Justices–at least two of the cool ones–pre-gamed the State of the Union.

She’d Motivate You to Work Out

I would like to point out again, RBG is 81 years old. That being said, she has been working out with a personal trainer since 1999. She explained her workout routine, saying :

I do a variety of weight-lifting, elliptical glider, stretching exercises, push-ups. And I do the Canadian Air Force exercises almost every day.

Although she had some health concerns in November, I bet she’s still prioritizing her health and hitting the gym. Meanwhile, I am 100 percent sure I could not do anything called “Canadian Air Force exercises,” so I could really use a work out buddy like RBG to kick my ass into gear.

She’d Definitely Be Down for a Galentine’s Day Party

When asked at what point Ginsburg believes there are enough women on the Supreme Court, she had an awesome answer: when there are nine. She went on to explain that there were nine men for many years, so why not try out nine women?

She’s long been a strong feminist who isn’t afraid to put her views out there. She also is aware of the fact that she’s an outlier from a generation where women weren’t necessarily given the same opportunities as men. She at one point remembered:

My mother told me two things constantly. One was to be a lady, and the other was to be independent. The study of law was unusual for women of my generation. For most girls growing up in the ’40s, the most important degree was not your B.A., but your M.R.S

I can’t think of a better role model for young women who want to pursue their dreams.

She Knows When to Put Differences Aside for the Sake of Friendship

RBG can teach us that just because you disagree with someone doesn’t mean that they don’t have something they can teach you. She and fellow justice Antonin Scalia are basically polar opposites when it comes to beliefs and views. That being said, they can put that all aside and still have a great time together. For many years they had a tradition of spending New Years Eve together along with their spouses. They’ve traveled together–once even riding an elephant together on a trip to India. Another time in France, she went parasailing, although Scalia sat that one out. Being friends with people who force you to defend your opinions and see things a different way is a good thing–Scalia and Ginsburg are absolutely proof of that.

If you can’t get enough of Scalia and Ginsburg’s friendship, there’s actually a one-act comedic opera dedicated to the two. This is the plot:

What happens when Supreme Court justices go before a Higher Power? In this comic opera, Justices Ginsburg and Scalia must pass through three cosmic trials to secure their freedom. The catch: they may have to agree on the Constitution.

Both Ginsburg and Scalia saw it, and liked it.

She’s Very Sassy and Quotable

RBG is well known for her expertly crafted decisions. In the recent Hobby Lobby case, her dissent was nothing short of withering. She called the decision one of “a startling breadth,” and ended with this pretty awesome last paragraph:

In the Court’s view, RFRA demands accommodation of a for-profit corporation’s religious beliefs no matter the impact that accommodation may have on third parties who do not share the corporation owners’ religious faith—in these cases, thousands of women employed by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga or dependents of persons those corporations employ. Persuaded that Congress enacted RFRA to serve a far less radical purpose, and mindful of the havoc the Court’s judgment can introduce, I dissent.

Or how about this quote in her dissent against the decision that gutted the Voting Rights Act:

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.

What a BAMF.

So there are a lot of reasons to love RBG, and I didn’t even mention her groundbreaking and brilliant legal career. Either way, she’s definitely a woman who should get a hell of a lot of respect, and if there’s anyone who should be allowed to drink wine and then fall asleep at the State of the Union, it’s her.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post Five Reasons Why We Should All Want to Be BFFs With RBG appeared first on Law Street.

I graduated from law school almost five months ago, in May 2013.  From late May to late July, I spent two months being depressed and suicidal, otherwise known as bar prep.

A shockingly accurate representation of summer 2013.

Post-bar, I spent a month catching up on terrible reality television, reading stupid magazines, and engaging in other activities that required little-to-no brain functionality.

Surprisingly, what I didn’t do was make a particular rush to catch up with the friends that I had effectively neglected for two and a half months.  I was in a bar exam-induced PTSD, and I couldn’t fathom being around others who had not just gone through the same level of intellectual violation and warfare.  Everyone was uncomfortably happy and upbeat about the future, and I was not in the same boat.  I knew that I had three and a half months of waiting for bar results, and that thought remained in the back of my mind every day.

As I slowly but surely reemerge into polite society from my self-imposed exile, I realize that there are so many misconceptions about life during and after law school. These funnily-flawed thoughts come from four broadly classified categories of friends.

Group 1

These are your non-legal friends who are personally and professionally winning.  People often forget that you paused your life for three years to learn the law.  Unfortunately, the world didn’t pause with you.  In fact, it seems like their lives fast-forwarded a few chapters: promotions, engagements, marriages, and home purchases are what all of my friends talk about now.

Do you know what I talk about now? (1) Funemployment—not so fun.  (2) Educational debt—tons of it.  (3) Feeling old- what’s a Miley Cyrus?  (4) Reality tv- I live vicariously through Bravolebrities.  I literally don’t know how to relate to conversations about the depreciating value of diamonds and how the engagement ring business is a genius scam.  Diamonds and engagement are so far away for me, but for everyone else it’s happening!

Sorry, smart friend  who didn’t go to law school — I can’t relate to your perfect problems.

While we spent the last 1,100-ish days creating pneumonic devices for Constitutional tests (Lemon Test= SEX= Secular purpose; no primary Effect of advancing or hindering religion; no eXcessive entanglement.  You’re welcome), your friends were at work.  They were becoming more practically skilled in their professional fields, whereas you were receiving theoretical training.  You were getting A’s and B’s, but they were getting promotions.  The reality is that even if you become a first-year associate at a top law firm, you’re at the bottom of the totem pole.  Your friends, however, are not.  Thanks, law school.

We get it, you’re happy.

See? Professionally and personally winning.

Let us catch up, guys! We were on the bench for 3-4 years and now we’re trying to get back in the game!

Group 2

These are your friends who can’t grasp what current law students and law graduates know: law school ages you! You know those side-by-side comparisons of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama from their first Presidential portrait to their second?  And how everyone remarks that they have many more wrinkles and much more gray hair.  Such is life for a person learning the law.

Everyone expects you to rage at the end of the semester, and that desire to get you blackout drunk grows exponentially when you’re done taking the bar.  Little do your friends know that, while you talk a big game about drinking your face off, all you really want to do is sleep.  Perhaps you’d like to read a non-legal book? I hear they’re interesting.  Maybe jump on that exercise fad? There’s so much to try, but it’s difficult to get off of the couch because you feel so old.

My response every time someone wants to catch up over drinks.

Law students and lawyers read a lot.  Our eyesight is terrible.  Our backs hurt from carrying so many books (unless you had a wheelie backpack, in which case…just go).  We have a severe Vitamin D deficiency, because fluorescent library lights just aren’t as healthy for humans as sunlight.

Let us get some rest and attempt to feel like real humans again.  Once we’ve accomplished that (seemingly insurmountable) goal, we will gladly have a beer with you…or twenty.

Group 3

These friends are your biggest cheerleaders, but also have no idea about the reality you face.

I love comparing the pep talks I receive with those received by other law school friends.

Friend A: “My mom said I should apply to the biggest firm in the country because they’d be lucky to have me!”  Facts:Not necessarily true.  In fact, most likely not true, especially if you’re weren’t a summer associate at the firm.

Friend B: “My parents have a friend of a friend of a friend of a cousin who met a judge with whom they think I should apply.  The judge is on the D.C. Circuit.  I wasn’t on law review.”  Facts: Not happening.  Unless you saved the life of that judge’s first born child oryou are that judge’s child, it’s not happening.

Lisa Vanderpump and I appreciate the sentiment, but you’re wrong.

Friend C: “I’m pretty sure I failed the bar, but all of my friends say I definitely passed because I studied so hard.”  Fact: Actually, it’s a total toss up and we don’t find out until November, because bar examiners are sick and twisted people.  Also, the bar is a test that requires minimum competency, which is tough to gauge!

Friend D: “You’ll find a job, you’re smart!” Fact: Yes, but so is every other unemployed kid with a JD, and every unemployed actual attorney, so…. next.

The moral to this group of friends? We get it; you’re doing your job and being supportive and nice.  You, however, are incorrect about most of the smoke you’re blowing.

Enough is enough! Stop being such a good friend, right Taylor?

We secretly really appreciate it, though.

Group 4

This group is the best: the friends who work for big law and aren’t yet used to their new lifestyles.

The most inadvertent comments from them remind you of the stark differences of your post-graduation paths.

Like, how can you not sympathize with someone who hasn’t cooked in weeks because the firm insists on feeding them breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Seriously, guys, sometimes you want to walk home after a long day in the office, but if you stay past a certain hour, you have to take a car service.  Ugh.

Would you believe there are people out there suffering the indignity of business class? I’d quit.

Their comments are equally representative of their acceptance of the monumental change in their lives and the shock that all of this is happening to them.  They get a lot of perks, but they work all the time.  Some of them really enjoy what they do (FREAKS), and some of them feel the exact opposite way.

They always remind you how lucky you are that you are still looking for work, or that your job lets you leave at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, or 10:00.  The grass is always greener, right?

You’re of course genuinely thrilled for them, too. It’s always nice to have a bunch of friends at a bunch of firms, especially if you’re considering running for public office one day (wink wink nudge nudge Citizens United, anyone?).

Seriously, donate to my Senate campaign in 2026!

Are there any other groups I’m missing? Let me know in the comments!

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Featured image courtesy of [Jesse Vaughan via Flickr]

(all .gifs provided by the genius T. Kyle MacMahon from Reality TV .gifs.)

Peter Davidson II

Peter Davidson is a recent law school graduate who rants about news & politics and raves over the ups & downs of FUNemployment in the current legal economy. Contact Peter at staff@LawStreetMedia.com.

The post The Simple Classification of Friends in a Post-J.D. World appeared first on Law Street.