A Navy fuel ship will be named for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in recognition of her efforts to advance women's rights and gender equality, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said Thursday.
The future John Lewis-class replenishment oiler — a ship that transfers fuel to the Navy's operating carrier strike groups — will be the eighth such vessel to be named for an historic figure who fought for civil and human rights.
Others include former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, abolitionist and women's rights activist Sojurner Truth, gay rights icon Harvey Milk and civil rights leader John Lewis.
“As Secretary of the Navy, it is my aim to ensure equality and eliminate gender discrimination across the Department of the Navy," Del Toro said in a statement.
Ginsburg "is instrumental to why we now have women of all backgrounds, experiences and talents serving within our ranks, side by side with their male Sailor and Marine counterparts,” he said.
One of Ginsburg's most noted opinions came in a landmark 1996 case that struck down a male-only admissions policy at the Virginia Military Institute, the statement notes.
Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the court after Sandra Day O'Connor, who was appointed in 1981 by former President Ronald Reagan.
Ginsburg died in 2020 at age 87 after serving for 27 years.