An award given in the name of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been abruptly canceled after the family of the late Supreme Court justice and others objected that this year’s slate of recipients do not reflect her values.
In a seven-paragraph statement released Monday afternoon, Julie Opperman — chairperson of the foundation named after her late husband — addressed the criticism that erupted in the wake of the announcement.
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“The Foundation is not interested in creating controversy. It is not interested in generating a debate about whether particular honorees are worthy or not. And while Justice Ginsburg’s concept of EQUALITY for women was very controversial for most of her life, the Foundation does not intend to enter the fray. Indeed, Justice Ginsburg was known for her civility,” Opperman wrote.
Jim Ginsburg, the liberal justice’s son, told The Washington Post via email that he is “relieved” that the awards will not proceed.
Opperman said the foundation will “reconsider its mission and make a judgment about how or whether to proceed in the future.” The award previously had honored only women but had been expanded to include men for this year’s ceremony, which was scheduled to take place at the Library of Congress on April 13.
Galas built around impressively named awards are a stalwart of the Washington elite social scene — and a way to entice celebrity honorees to rub elbows with politicians and business leaders over $1,000-a-head plates of prime rib. Even as many of these awards dinners succeed at raising funds or awareness for worthy causes, the see-and-be-seen spectacle is often what fuels the entire endeavor.
The honor was originally called the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Woman of Leadership Award when it was first awarded in 2020. Its first recipient, philanthropist and arts patron Agnes Gund, was presented with the award by the justice herself, and subsequent awardees included Queen Elizabeth II — a friend accepted on her behalf — and Diane von Furstenberg.
Last year, the foundation announced its intentions to honor Barbra Streisand, with a news release stating that the superstar would accept the award at a Library of Congress event in April 2023. But Streisand did not ultimately travel to Washington, and instead received her prize in a “private ceremony” in July.
Ginsburg was longtime friends with Dwight Opperman, who served as president of West Publishing Co., which created the online research service Westlaw. He and Julie Opperman married in 2008. He died in 2013.
“Neither of his two sons nor any other biological relative is involved with the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation,” Vance Opperman, the son of Dwight Opperman and his first wife Jeanice, told The Post. He added that none of his biological family is in touch with Julie Opperman and that they were “unhappy to have their names associated with this.”
As criticism of the event grew last week, the Library of Congress — recipient of Opperman Foundation gifts of $425,000 in 2022 and $625,000 in 2020, according to tax records — released a statement clarifying that it would serve only as “venue” and that “the award is not otherwise affiliated with the Library.”
Federal Election Commission records show that Julie Opperman has donated more than $200,000 to Republican politicians and organizations since 2014.
The 12-member award committee for last year’s award included honoree Stewart as well as Jennifer Flavin Stallone, Sylvester’s wife. Stewart also attended the 2022 and 2020 ceremonies. The foundation did not share how this year’s honorees were selected.
In its initial release, the foundation praised Musk, who purchased Twitter and renamed it X, for being a free-speech advocate. Last week he was lambasted by Don Lemon for canceling a deal on X with the former CNN star a few hours after being interviewed by him. The X owner has been accused of contributing to the rapid increase in antisemitism on his social media platform by amplifying anti-Jewish tropes. Ginsburg was the first Jewish woman to serve on the Supreme Court when she joined in 1993.
Murdoch, whom the Opperman Foundation’s statement called “the most iconic living legend in media,” includes Fox and the New York Post in his conservative media empire.
Milken became a philanthropist for cancer research and public health after he served prison time in the 1990s on six felony counts, including securities and mail fraud. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump in 2020. Stewart, the beloved lifestyle personality, served five months in federal prison after being convicted in 2004 of obstruction of justice, conspiracy and lying to federal investigators. (She was “on Justice Ginsburg’s original wish list of potential honorees,” a release noted.)
Stallone will appear in the upcoming action thriller “Armored.”
Julie Opperman bristled at critics in her statement announcing the cancellation on Monday afternoon.
“The Opperman Foundation asks nothing of anybody. It is not a business. It is not a government agency. It is not political. It is not a fundraising mechanism,” Opperman wrote. “Its purpose is only to do good; to honor RBG; to reflect on her legacy and leadership; and in her name, to identify other leaders who have made a contribution to our world, not just through the law.”
Samantha Chery contributed to this report.
