Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves estate to children and housekeeper, report says

Bequest made to longtime helper in addition to Supreme Court justice’s children

Ruth Bader Ginsburg left the vast majority of her estate to her children in her will, but also thoughtfully included her housekeeper, a report says.

While her possessions and personal property are to go to her two children, Jane and James, a bequest was also made to her longtime helper, Elizabeth Salas.

TMZ reports that the family will receive the bulk of the late Supreme Court justice’s estate, valued at just under $6m, but an amount was also set aside for Ms Salas, whom it is believed worked for her for 22 years.

Ms Salas will receive a sum of $40,000 the outlet reports.

The two women were said to be very close, and Ms Salas even sat next to Joe Biden when the justice lay in state at the US Capitol last year.

Justice Ginsburg passed away aged 87 in September 2020.

Appointed by President Bill Clinton, Ms Ginsburg served on the court from 1993 until her death, despite two bouts of cancer.

Justice Ginsburg’s children are from her marriage to Martin Ginsburg, an internationally prominent tax attorney and later professor at Georgetown University Law Centre. He passed away in 2010.

Her daughter Jane is a professor at Columbia Law School, while her son James is the founder of a classical music recording company.

Ms Ginsburg also had four grandchildren.

Clara Spera, her granddaughter, told the BBC she spent a lot of time with her grandmother before she passed away due to complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer.

The two discussed, among other things, whether Justice Ginsburg had any last words she wanted to share that were not already made public.

“She dictated the following sentence to me: ‘My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,’” Ms Spera told the news outlet.

“I read it back to her, she was very happy with that, and when I asked her, ‘Is that it? Is there anything else you’d like to say?’ She said, ‘The rest of my work is a matter of public record.’ So that was all she wanted to add.”